


Too Much of You

by Clipchip



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Animated (2007)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Mpreg, Rape/Non-con Elements, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-03-04 20:38:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 104
Words: 189,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3088343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clipchip/pseuds/Clipchip
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A minibot and a warlord met on the edges of a battlefield. It was never meant to go so far. Inspired and heavily based on Drago-night's, Krazifreak's and GeminiGirl83's fanfictions and art. Galvatron/Cliffjumper TFA universe</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> A/N This story has gotten pretty large, so I’d like to thank you for popping in to give the first chapter a try, I hope you enjoy it ^^ Credit for this story to Drago-night over on DeviantArt. He came up with it! I just fleshed it out! Many chapters are based on his drawings, so go check out his gallery too!
> 
> I also have to tip my hat to Geminigirl83 and Krazi-Freak , whose Galvatron/Cliffjumper works are the ones I looked to for inspiration on how these two weirdoes would interact! “Cutie” was Geminigirl’s idea entirely, and I’d be so lost without Krazi’s silly Galvatron! 
> 
> I’ve been using this guide for cybertronian time units:http://mblackwood.deviantart.com/art/TF-Time-Units-209693773
> 
> Art for this chapter can be found here: http://drago-night.deviantart.com/gallery/24256320#/d2szkmf  
> Thank you so much for reading!

Blaster fire shot overhead as troops ran and ducked into their trenches, shielding themselves from the metal and glass debris that rained from the sky as the lasers hit nearby abandoned buildings. Screams and explosions filled everyone’s audios as they tried to hear and follow orders. Sticking with their friends, they followed colors, purple or red, through the battle lines, waiting for the shouts of the other side’s retreat. 

On the edge of the battlefield, shifting through the debris, bright frames covered with dirt and grim, two Autobots moved. One, a green scout, searched for tracks or energon, and listened for cries over the screams. Behind him, scanning the skies and their surroundings was a red mini-bot, blaster in servo. 

A soft cry shifted through the air, and the scout took off, running for a partially collapsed five story housing complex that was supposed to be evacuated a deca-cycle ago. He was about to jump in through a window when a gray servo gripped his arm. 

“Hold up there Hound” said the minibot.

Hound practically snarled while pulling his arm from the minibot’s grip. “Someone’s in there! They need help!”

“Yeah, I know, but you can’t just run in or the whole building will come down on you and them!” replied the minibot, glaring, “I’ll scope it out and head up, com you in a klik and you can head down ok?”

Reluctantly, Hound nodded, tilting his head to listen again as he motioned with a single finger “ONE klik” and pointed Cliffjumper inside. Nodding, Cliffjumper leapt through the window and paused to listen for a second before readying his gun in case of Decepticons and heading for the stairs. The stairs were missing steps, and aside from the occasional chunks of rubble that crashed through sections, were littered with papers, pictures, and shreds of cloth left behind from the evacuations. Hearing nothing but the shift of dust and fluttering of litter, Cliffjumper moved through broken doors, around forgotten furniture and left-behind lives, looking and listening for anyone. 

“Anybody here?” he asked, gun ready, “I’m an Autobot! If you need help just shout!” hearing nothing for several seconds he commed the all clear to Hound on the ground, who instantly headed down the broken steps, listening for the soft cries. As Cliffjumper turned to head back down and help him, he suddenly heard movement on the floor above him.  
Climbing to the next floor rapidly, he slinked around the dull walls into a small complex. Blaster at the ready, he turned the last corner, shouting, “DON’T MOVE!”

His gun was aimed at a large purple mech, with a large three horned crest on his dented helm. He sat slumped against a grey wall. Energon flowed freely through his fingers from where he has he hand pressed against a large wound on his side. Cliffjumper couldn’t spot an emblem on him. “Identify yourself!” Cliffjumper growled, “Designation and Faction!”

With a pained grunt the mystery bot looked up at his captor, focusing on the large gun and the clear Autobot brand. “I’m a neutral” he said softly, holding the hand that wasn’t pressed against his wound in the air to show he wasn’t armed, “Got caught in the crossfire….” With another pained groan he added, “Mind lending a servo?” 

Still eyeing the large bot wearily, Cliffjumper kept his gun aimed as he stepped closer. “Name?” he asked, ready to run through his databank of Decepticons.  
“…Axle …”

The search coming up dry, Cliffjumper slowly subspaced he weapon and pulled out some first aid supplies, comming Hound as he knelt by the bigger bot’s side, ready to patch up the wound, :yo Hound. Got an injured neutral up top, you ok down there?: 

:A femme got trapped down here during the evac, no injuries, but I’m taking her back to base to be sure. Need help up there?:

:I’m good. You head on back. Be careful!:

:You too! Hound out-:

Patching the last leaking fuel line on the bot, Cliffjumper pulled away and finished the repair by adding a thin adhesive metal to keep dust and grim out of the wound. “That’ll hold you till we get back to base. Can you stand?”

“Yes” Axle answered as he stood slowly so as not to jar anything and damage himself again. 

Noticing the slight wobbling in the taller bot’s stance, Cliffjumper pulled out a ration of energon. “Here, you need to replace that energon you lost…”

After drinking the ration quickly, the bot stood to his full height, towering over Cliffjumper. But just as he steadied himself, a hard crushing sound filled their audios and the building started to shake around them. With a curse, Cliffjumper grabbed Axle ’s servo and began tugging him for the door, but the purple bot seemed to have a different idea.  
Swiftly grabbing the minibot in one arm he shielded himself with the other and slammed through the wall, breaking out of the falling building. As Cliffjumper realized he was not only off the floor, but falling, he let out of squeak and gripped on Axle ’s chassis, shutting his optics and preparing himself for the impact of the ground. Instead, the sound of thrusters roared over the sound of the crumbling building, and he could feel the wind blow against his frame as Axle flew them away. 

A few seconds later, Axle landed deftly on the ground, a very safe distance from the wreckage, and Cliffjumper still gripping him desperately. Letting out a chuckle, the taller bot snuggled the mini against his chassis. “Thanks for the help cutie”

Breaking out of his trance at the nickname, Cliffjumper began struggling fiercely to be put down. “Don’t call me that! And put me down! We need to get you back to base to get those wounds looked at!”

“That’s ok, they aren’t bad; but how about you cutie? Want to be a neutral? Imagine what fun we could have together…” he purred, with a smirk. 

“I don’t wanna be a fragging neutral! Put me down!” 

“You’re cute when your angry” Axle replied with a laugh. It quickly became a pout as he placed the smaller bot down on his peds. He smirked a bit when Cliff sighed in relief and relaxed a bit. The soft chirp of a com link was heard and Axle moved his larger servo to the side of his head to answer it. After a moment of silence, he frowned a bit and said “I’ll be right there.” 

Turning to look at Cliffjumper again, he smiled slightly, “looks like I have to go, my…friends…need me but thank you again cu—”

“Cliffjumper. My name is Cliffjumper.” The minibot glared up at the purple mech, daring him to call him cutie again. 

“Haha! Alright. Goodbye Cliffjumper” he said, kneeling to take Cliff’s servo in his hands and place a light kiss on it, making Cliff blush bright red. But he didn’t have a chance to say anything before Axle pulled away and leapt in the air. “Hope to see you again Cutie!” he yelled before taking off.

Cliffjumper waited until he couldn’t see Axle ’s shape anymore and his blush died down, before heading back to base. As he crossed the gates and guards he spotted Hound ranting nervously with one of the commanding bots. He stopped abruptly as he spotted him though. 

“Oh thank primus!” Hound shouted as he came running towards Cliffjumper. “I heard the building collapse and didn’t know if you made it out or not! You ok?”

“Yeah, fine. Neutral got me out before heading out on his own. You and the femme ok?” Cliffjumper asked as he shifted, a bit uncomfortable, on his peds. 

“Firestar’s her name, she’s in medical, but she’s ok.”

“Good. Any news on the attack?” he inquired eagerly. Even though he was a scout, he preferred to be on the front lines. 

“No more than usual.” Hound replied before suddenly seeming to remember something. “But apparently there was some new bot on the front lines. Never seen before. Sunny and Sides were jokin’ around, tellin’ everyone it was Galvatron till Kup told them ta shut it.”

“Almost wish it was the slagger, he deserves some good hits to the faceplates.”

“If we knew what those faceplates even looked like.” Despite his reputation as leader of the Deceptions, no one had actually seen the bot. Or if they had, they didn’t know it was him. It made it really hard to kill a target when you didn’t even know the color of their paintjob. 

“He can’t hide forever…” Cliffjumper murmured darkly as he and Hound headed to report in. 

___

Miles away, at the Decepticon’s headquarters, the same purple mech Cliffjumper had met walked into the war room, surrounding himself with his generals and strategists. And while all saw his patch job, no one dared say a word of it. Instead, they all stood, a large green and purple battle copter mech greeting him, “Welcome back Lord Galvatron.”

End chapter 1


	2. A Grand Deception

Galvatron, leader of the Decepticons, sat back in his throne watching a recording of the Decepticon’s latest battle. They had suffered major loses in both troops and supplies and his search for flaws in the Autobot’s defenses was far from fruitful. Aside from the occasional berserk front-liner, the Autobots had amazing control of their lines. Kup, it seems, had not lost his touch. 

It was as though the Bots knew the layout of the battlefield. While initial scans provided an overview, it did not allow for the detail or the spread of the data the Bots seemed to hold. They rarely paused in their movements because of a sudden barrier or obstacle. He switched the view from the Praxan ordering troops around a broken bridge, to the closest shot they had of the command center. Aside from Kup, some scientists and stand-by medical staff, several minibots and scout models stood at the edges of the command ring, overlooking movements and speaking vehemently on the comms. 

They were the ones providing directions! Of course! No one really scoped out battlefields in detail, so no one paid attention to them until a battle actually occurred. But the Autobots had apparently changed the game plan. He spotted the red minibot he had met shout a question up at Kup, returning the answer over his com-link. Apparently the bot had been doing more than simply searching for survivors. 

The bot was too small to be a strong fighter which was probably why he wasn’t on the front lines, but he was tiny enough to be able to scout out an area before or after a battle without drawing too much attention. And he wasn’t the only one. Most minibot and scouts models joined the Autobots, apparently giving them an edge he never could have predicted. 

If he was right it could not be allowed to continue. But he couldn’t very well walk up to anybot and start asking questions. But ‘asking’ Cliffjumper shouldn’t throw up any huge red flags. 

The bot shouldn’t be too difficult to spot from the sky if he was looking, but from his first impression of the bot, he was blindly loyal to the Autobots, so bribes and threats were out. He could torture him for the information, probably kill him as well. But that would alert the bots that he’s onto their ways, which would either make them stop or make them come up with another mode of action that he would have to waste his time trying to figure out.   
But if he could make the minibot trust him, he’d not only get the scouting information, but perhaps info on the ranks and the workings of the Autobot base. No one noticed small bots, but small bots noticed everything after all. 

He could pretend to need help, but that excuse wouldn’t last long and might raise suspicion. 

Cliffjumper was blunt and harsh, but helpful, a bot of action dying to prove himself. He must be starved for attention. Galvatron smirked as the idea formed in his mind. Wooing the bot would not only get him the information he wanted, but it would do so in the most delicious way. He could even steal information during uplink if he was careful enough. And if he managed to get Cliff to really fall for him, he might just get a spy with the Autobots. 

This could work…and even if it didn’t, all he’d lose is one minibot scout. 

End Chapter 2


	3. Hello Again!

Post battles, Cliffjumper and the other scouts often searched through the fields for survivors, friends, relatives and spare parts. Today, he’d been assigned a sector on the far edges of the field and was digging through the rubble for anything useful. 

What “useful” constituted was basically anything that wasn’t rock, or anything that could be recycled or repaired. It was a boring job, but at least it wasn’t inventory, and sometimes he’s get a good score, like a blaster or someone’s arm. Sadly, those spots were usually in the middle of the battlefield, not the edges. 

He let his processor wander to the bot he saw on the battlefield the other day: Axle. He didn’t look like a neutral, but that may have been simply because he was a military build. Military build was basically synonymous with Deception these days. Still…tall, heavily armored, purple, the bot drew a lot of attention. But it would make sense why he was off alone as well. Big bot like that didn’t exactly need to stay in a group to be safe. 

The bot had such a personality though! Perverted in a confident sort of way and a shameless flirt! If Cliffjumper hadn’t seen him bash through a wall and fly them to safety he probably wouldn’t have believed it was the same bot… it was…kinda…cool…. Closing the train of thought with a strong shake of his head, Cliffjumper bent down to dig into another pile. 

Suddenly, his sensory horns picked up vibrations in the air, like a set of thrusters had been activated. Cliff dove for cover behind a half crushed wall, but didn’t spot anything in the sky above him. After waiting for a few seconds though, he heard the heavy crunch of rubble under a large bot’s ped. It had to be a con; any Autobot would have called to him. Cliffjumper slowly pulled his blaster out of subspace. 

When the crunching got close enough, he swung around the wall, blaster charged and aimed high. Galvatron stood a short shot range away, though he took a step back when he saw the gun and put his arms up high. Cliffjumper lowered his gun with heavy exasperated sigh. “Axle ! You got a thing for dangerous situations or something?”

The bot he knew as Axle smirked slightly as he dropped his arms, “I could say the same about you. Think we’ll ever be able to greet each other without pointing a gun at me?”

“It’s a miracle we’re meeting again at all. Didn’t you head out with your friends after the last battle?” Cliffjumper asked as he walked closer to the larger purple bot, looking at the gray spot of unpainted metal on his side, “You got proper repair for that patch job right?”

Axle bent over the smaller bot, blocking his view of the new metal by casting a shadow over him with his larger frame. His optics burned bright red. While most Decepticons had red optics, it was really just because most were military builds and had kept the military issue infrared optics. Since most Autobots were former civilians, they lived with the standard blue optics. 

“Worried about me cutey?” Galvatron asked with a pleased smirk.

Rolling his own blue optics dramatically, Cliffjumper pulled away, returning to the pile of rubble he was digging through. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

Galvatron took in the image of Cliffjumper bending over for a second. The mini had a nice aft, he’d give him that and so feisty too. He moved forward to help him move some of the larger chunks, much to the mini’s chagrin. “I was actually looking for you”

Cliffjumper stopped his searching to stare up suspiciously at the other bot. “…and why is that…?” While the mini could easily venture a guess, what with the smirks and touches, he wanted to see if the bot was really that crass. 

“Hey now! It’s hardly anything bad!” Galvatron said with mock hurt as Cliffjumper stared at him disbelievingly. “Really! You just…stuck in my head after the battle...” Galvatron crouched down, but he still towered over the Autobot. “Got minibots on the processor” he finished with his most charming smirk. Cliffjumper stared at him, as if saying ‘seriously? ‘ Galvatron leaned in closer to Cliffjumper’s faceplate, smirking as he said “not many bots are ever in my head.”

“What? Not enough room?” Cliffjumper retorted as he forced himself not to pull away. 

“Ouch. Sharp glossa you got there cutey” Galvatron said as he finally pulled back. At least the mini was amusing, acting so big and tough. He watched for a moment as Cliffjumper lifted another chunk of rubble. 

The silence made Cliffjumper a bit uncomfortable. He didn’t like being watched, especially by random bots he just met, and a practically shameless one too, though Cliffjumper appreciated a mech that could take a joke. He subspaced a half crushed blaster, mumbling into the rocks “So where’s your team – er –fellow neutrals?”

“A ways off, we’ve gone as far as we could from the battlefield but still within range of the city.” Galvatron said smoothly. It was a lie of course. 

“The city IS the battlefield. If I were you I’d head out, maybe towards the south of the planet, where the battles are over and done.”

“You’d do something so cowardly?” Galvatron asked. He had pegged the minibot as braver than that, but maybe it was all bravado…though if he kept in touch with his neutral façade he could see the sense. 

“Uh…no.” Cliffjumper replied, a bit confused. This guy certainly wasn’t like any other neutral he had met. Most neutrals were cowards, running rather than fighting, though some had their reasons. He had met this one bot who had asked him for directions out of the battlezone and any info he had of the refugee camps. You could tell he would have fought, but he had to take care of his 2 younglings so he was heading out. THAT guy Cliff had to give credit too. But Axle was so different. He was huge but he didn’t pick a side, and he hadn’t mentioned or even suggested anybody important. So he was either a coward…or it was political. 

“Then why should I?” Galvatron asked. It was more like he was curious about Cliff’s answer than serious. 

That threw Cliffjumper off, making him look at Galvatron in surprise, “You’re a neutral aren’t you? I thought you guys didn’t like to fight.”

“Do you ‘like’ to fight? Just because someone doesn’t like something does not mean they are not willing to do it.” Galvatron added. It was like the early days of the war again, when he was making huge underground speeches to the military builds and lower working class, building up his army of oppressed sparks. 

“Then why aren’t you? You’re sitting by while our planet and people are destroyed. We have a responsibility-” Cliffjumper started. He wasn’t the most political of bots but he knew enough to argue about it. 

“And what responsibility is that?” Galvatron interrupted, a bit annoyed. This sounded like the start of an Autobot propaganda assault. “The Autobots say one thing, the Decepticons another! The neutrals don’t agree with either. Everyone has their own ideas, their own goals. Most just want to return to life before the war.” Galvatron huffed, smothering his urge to rant and rave about stupid politics. 

“Life before the war was awful though!” Cliffjumper exclaimed almost dropping a chunk of stone on his ped. “Not to say this one is any better, but still!” Primus! Was this guy serious!? Or was he rich before the war. Lots of Towers mechs could say they wanted their old lives back, but not the everyday bot. 

Galvatron was mildly surprised at the bot’s vehemence. Most Autobots were working middle class and up, so they had lived a fairly decent existence. Decepticons were the bots on the bottom-most rung of the social food chain: the miners, the fighters, the military builds. “The ‘Golden Age’ wasn’t better than now?” He sneered at the smaller bot. 

“It wasn’t Golden for everyone!” Cliffjumper retorted. “Most of the counsel was corrupt! They kept a lot of bots down! What were you? A politician? Military builds were some of the worst hit!”

Galvatron stared at the smaller bot, surprised that he was even aware of the treatment military builds endured. “I know that. I’ve experienced that. But-“   
“Then why would you-?” Cliffjumper tried to interrupt, but Galvatron kept on talking. 

“-what would you know about it!?”

Cliffjumper suddenly fell silent, an almost worried look filtering onto his faceplate. “…I just do. It wasn’t fair what happened to labor bots…bots that couldn’t do anything else or earn any better. Something needed to change…” 

“Things did change. The Decepticons arose. Did they not advocate salvation, fairness, opportunity to those labor bots? Are you sure you’re on the right side?” Galvatron asked, intrigued. The minibot had a dark secret? Now Galvatron was curious. Was it deep and dark enough to warrant a change of spark? Or worth protecting? 

With another confused glare, Cliffjumper answered with an assured nod. “Absolutely.” 

“How do you know?” Galvatron dug, almost giddy with the slightest possibility of Cliff not being certain with the Autobots. 

“The choice isn’t difficult!” Cliffjumper snapped, exasperated with the political debate and the disarming questions. “When it comes down to it, it’s either kill the bots with a red face on their chassis or kill the bots with a purple one.”

Aware that he had pushed the smaller bot too far Galvatron pulled back. Cliff apparently didn’t like digging into his past. He’d keep that in mind. To be honest, he didn’t really need that info anyway. He needed newer stuff, current and future stuff, plans and schedules and patterns and names. He let it drop. 

“So you don’t like purple?” Galvatron joked, looking down at himself with fake offense. “Maybe I’ll get a repaint, just for you! Would you like that cutie?” Galvatron purred. 

Cliffjumper’s face glowed red. “ S-stop joking around you psycho!” he sputtered. “That’s it! I’m done! Goodbye!” with a final look at Galvatron’s smirking face, Cliffjumper spun and headed for base. 

“See you later cutie!” Galvatron called out, smirking. He didn’t get anything useful…this time…still, sparkling steps, sparkling steps, it would pay off. 

End chapter 3


	4. Fancy Meeting You AGAIN

A few days later, when Cliffjumper headed out to scout a zone Galvatron, or “Axle ”as he knew him, was waiting for him. 

“By Primus, you’re worse than space barnacles!” Cliffjumper shouted in shock when he first spotted the bot as he sat happily on a rock, basking in the sun. “How do you keep finding me!?” It was almost creepy. And the idea did pop into his processor that if a neutral could do it, so could a con! Still, the cons wouldn’t just sit back and let it happen right? 

“Small planet?” Galvatron smirked as the minibot tried to look tough by placing his small servos on his waist. The truth was that he was constantly monitoring the Autobot base for the bot (along with any important bots that exited the fortified doors.) He was pretty sure the Autobots did the same with his base, which was why he preferred the secret backdoor. Even if he did use the front door however, no one aside from his men knew he was much more than a regular foot solider. “You may not realize this cutey…but red isn’t exactly the sneakiest of colors. Not that I mind.” Galvatron added quickly with a slight purr, “red suits you, though I do think some purple would be just the right touch.” He took in the minibot, imagining the red Autobot symbol replaced with a purple Decepticon brand. It was a nice thought. 

The red bot had proven himself more entertaining than he had first imagined. He was defiantly having fun making the bot sputter and blush hard enough to match his paint job and he was…almost…enjoying the challenge too. Back at the Decepticon base, he hardly had anyone to bicker with. The closest he could get was a ruffling debate. It was all planning and strategizing and battle meetings where no one would speak up for fear of making him mad. He had only shot ONE tactician and THAT was because he had recommended surrender. All that fear made it so difficult to get a good lay, though the options weren’t that many anyway. 

“Don’t you have anything better to do? Find supplies? Build a shelter? Get your fellow neutrals to stop vandalizing the Autobot base walls?” Cliffjumper asked with a sigh, figuring it would be easier to just accept the bot than make a fuss. 

“Someone’s vandalizing your walls?” Galvatron asked with slight surprise. That never happened to the Decepticons, or at least he didn’t think so, he didn’t really concern himself with minor stuff like that. “How do you know it’s not the Decepticons?” If it was, someone was getting a bonus. 

“We catch them on camera; it’s just a couple of punk kids.” Cliffjumper grumbled, heading for a partially destroyed building. Two younglings, barely into their secondary upgrades had covered the wall with neutral anti-war slogans. Defiantly not good for moral. Seeing kids pull these kinds of stunts bugged him, but he could understand why they did it. It was far from easy growing up in a war zone, and those kids at least had spunk for speaking out. Spending all morning with a sponge and Wheeljack’s cleaner, however, didn’t exactly make him forgiving. “No allegiance and no want for one either.”

“I’m guessing they’re not pro-Autobot in their wall art.” Galvatron added, noting a slightly acidic smell in the air as Cliffjumper walked past him. 

“They’re not pro-Con either, they just don’t have the guts to write in on THEIR walls!” he said back, though it was a fact Cliffjumper was very happy about. Those kids could do a lot better than getting killed vandalizing the enemy walls. 

“I’m guessing someone had cleanup duty?” Galvatron asked lightly, chuckling a bit at Cliffjumper’s glare. 

“You wouldn’t be laughing if you spent all morning rubbing away paint with a corrosive solvent!”

“One of the infamous Wheeljack’s inventions?” Galvatron commented, taking a chance to dig for information. The inventor was renowned on both sides, not only for his inventions but for the general danger they posed to anyone within a two mile radius. Cliffjumper seemed like they kind of bot to get into trouble, even outside the battlefield. If he was really lucky, they spent enough time in the medical ward to be considered friends and thus, confidants. What he wouldn’t do for an insight into the inventor’s lab. “Is it true he blows himself up every few cycles?” he added jokingly, as though he wanted to gossip instead of learn. 

“Only that bot could invent something so hazardous and so helpful at the same time!” Cliffjumper said, more than ready to rant about the inventor. “And yes he does! Along with any bot that had the misfortune of delivering his mail, or his energon, or his tools, or whatever crazy thing he asked someone to bring him from the battlefield! He once asked me to bring him 4 stray turbocats!” the minibot exclaimed as he climbed to the second floor of the half destroyed structure, reaching for what looked like a shield projector on a broken shelf. He flipped it around in his servos, it was a replica, but Wheeljack might be able to rig it up for real. 

“What in the name of Cybertron for!?” Galvatron asked with genuine curiosity to the turbocat comment. He had heard the inventor was a bit crazy, but he had assumed it was a brilliant type of crazy. 

“What else!? An experiment” the bot called back. “He’s always got 20 or so going on at once.”

“Weapons against the cons?” Galvatron asked with slight trepidation. The few times one of Wheeljack’s inventions was used against them, they had suffered immensely. 

“A few, but he’s just as likely to work on them as he is on his magnetic data pads, energon supplements, door-wing booties and let’s not forget, electric paint!” Cliffjumper called back with a slight chuckle. Wheeljack’s lab was like a maze that only he and Perceptor knew how to navigate, filled to the brim with half-finished inventions and littered with ideas and parts. It was probably better than any security system though. 

“He’s got a lot of ideas doesn’t he?” Galvatron was actually sort of pleased. If the inventor wasn’t so easily distracted, who knows where they would be, though he was also a bit disillusioned. Here he had painted the inventor to be some mad, hard-working genius…apparently he was just mad. 

“I guess it’s partially everyone’s fault. He’s got us all trained to bring him anything we find interesting or useful on the field and the pieces of junk usually inspire him.” Cliffjumper said with a shrug. He had long resigned himself to the inventor’s quirkiness. “You know anyone like that?” he asked. 

Doctor Scalpel came to Galvatron’s mind. The little bot took great pleasure in digging through anything he could fit in, which was probably why he chose to remain so small. He was a sadist however, and many a poor bot has died in his experiments. He was their greatest tool of torture, though only used for special occasions, much to the small bot’s chagrin. “Wheeljack seems to be one of a kind.” Galvatron answered instead, dodging the question. 

“I’m sure he has a clone running around somewhere” Cliffjumper joked as he slid down to the ground floor again, heading for another pile. 

“You seem very close to him…”

“About as close as I am to everyone.” Cliffjumper replied back with ease. “Live together for so long, you don’t stay strangers for long. Plus the gossip mill never sleeps with the twins and Bluestreak.” 

“Twins? Bluestreak?” Galvatron asked, portraying innocent curiosity. The frontliner twins and the sniper. The latter was pretty new to the ranks but he had already made a huge name for himself and the former were always the first to start attacking their front line. 

“Blue’s still pretty young. We found him in the ruins of Praxis…” Cliffjumper said sadly, “But he wanted to help so Magnus put him on the back line. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are some crazy warriors, though not very bright since they’re always messing with us minibots. At least they’re good for a tussle. And they also keep the prank wars going. ”

“The Autobots have prank wars?” Galvatron asked with disbelief. What kind of bots was he fighting? More importantly, how had he not beaten them already!? That kind of nonsense would have gotten a Decepticon flogged! 

“What!? We can’t be big badass warriors all the time! We’d go crazy! Pranks keep up moral, though no one will ever say it out-loud. It’s hard enough keep the twins restrained as it is!” Cliffjumper protested. He could see how it sounded silly, but the idea of being at base with nothing but battle on the brain sounded worse. 

“Are you sure it’s harmless?” If the Twins actually meant harm, they could perhaps be pulled over to the Decepticon’s side! Those twins were legendary as warriors. No one returned from a battle with them uninjured. 

“Oh yeah, they just get bored in between battles!” Cliffjumper replied, dashing all of his hopes. “ In fact, me and the other mini’s still have to get the twins back for gluing us to the rec room ceiling….” Cliffjumper added. 

So much for the dissent idea Galvatron thought. It seemed the Autobots were immature when out of sight. It was almost reminiscent of his training camp days though. He and his team mates would prank other teams or commanders. Maybe he should lighten up on the rules a bit. He understood the importance of moral and it had been dismal recently…it was a thought. 

At least he didn’t have to worry about Wheeljack as much anymore. And, luckily, if Cliffjumper knew everyone, some may have confided in him. Maybe even some of the higher in command. Galvatron suddenly received a ping, time for a battle meeting. Looking around the plains he spotted what seemed to be an abandoned bunker or complex. “I have to go…” He told Cliffjumper with a touch of regret. “Meet me at those buildings next time? Save me the trouble of searching for you?”

“And I should just make it easy for you?” Cliffjumper asked with amusement. He did have…a bit of fun talking with this bot. It was nice talking with someone that didn’t already know everything that was going on with everyone. And it didn’t seem as though the bot was getting bored with the news. 

With a final playful smirk, Galvatron sneaked a quick pet of Cliffjumper’s horns and with a shouted “see you later cutey!” took off into the air. He didn’t really learn anything one could call technically useful, but it didn’t feel like a waste. Meanwhile Cliffjumper blushed from the touch and cursed the bot’s fading figure. 

End chapter 4


	5. A Place for Us

Cliffjumper couldn’t believe it. He was actually going to meet up with Axle. He’d somehow gotten a day off duty and he was going to gossip with a neutral! What was the world coming to? 

But he supposed that it was better than hitting the gun range…again… and the other minis were busy and he didn’t feel like dealing with the front-liners…and maybe he sort of wanted to vent…a little bit…and Axle just seemed like that kind of bot. He was a like a nice cool breeze. He was obviously interested in something, but it wasn’t like he was digging that hard for it…. Cliffjumper was pretty sure that something was a frag, but at least he wasn’t obvious about it. 

Truth be told though, Cliff didn’t really know anything about Axle. But he didn’t like it when bots dug into his business, so why should he dig into anyone else’s, especially when he wasn’t doing any harm…well…besides being a bit of a creepy perv. Cliff could swear the purple bot stared at his aft every time he turned around. But aside from a few light passes he hadn’t tried anything. So long as things stayed that way Cliff wouldn’t have to get violent. 

When Cliff finally reached the abandoned building, he habitually scanned for any interesting tidbits. Finding none,he climbed onto a shady perch a few levels up. Gazing out into the battle torn city, he dozed lightly for a bit, only coming back to life when from below he heard Axle shout, “Rupunzelbot, Rupanzelbot, transform your hair!” He peaked over the edge to hear the next line, “give me a rope! To climb from here to there!” he added, gesturing from the ground to Cliffjumper’s perch. 

“Fairytales?” Cliffjumper replied with an amused smile, “Really?”

“You can’t go wrong the classics!” Galvatron smirked back. The larger bot was actually a bit happy that the bot had decided to meet him again. He hadn’t lost his touch it seemed. “Are you coming down or do I have to come get you?” he shouted up with a predatory smirk. 

Refusing to back down to such a taunt, Cliffjumper made a show of thinking about it, “tempting, tempting, but I don’t have all day to wait for you to catch me! I’m coming.” With that, Cliffjumper leapt off his roost on the fifth floor. Galvatron almost scrambled for a second; shocked that such a small bot would jump that height but instinctively reached out to catch the bot before he hit the ground. As Cliffjumper was posed to land on his peds however, the awkward save simply landed them in a dusty dog pile on the ground. 

As they coughed the dust out of their intakes, Galvatron moved to his knees, still holding Cliffjumper in his arms. “you…ruined…my landing” Cliffjumper coughed out.

“I didn’t think…your name… was literal.” Galvatron gasped back.

“How else would you take it?”

“Something about a jump-first-look-later personality?” Galvatron smirked; sneaking a quick grope of Cliffjumper’s aft. 

“Pervert!” Cliffjumper squealed, turning red. 

With a teasing pout, Galvatron suddenly squeezed Cliffjumper against him, smothering the smaller bot in a tight hug. Cliffjumper let out a sharp yelp and instantly started to squirm.

“Hey! Cut it out!” Cliffjumper shouted, pressing against the bot’s larger chassis, gunning his engine. Galvatron snaked a hand down to grab his aft. 

“You’re so cute when you act all tough!” Galvatron cooed with a laugh. 

“Slagger!”

With a hearty laugh Galvatron finally put Cliffjumper down. It was sort of adorable how he looked like a spooked turbo cat. “Ok, ok!” 

“Ever hear of personal space!?” Cliffjumper shouted, a bit angry that he had fallen for the trick and hadn’t been able to get out. Had it been a Decepticon he would probably be dead. Looks like I need more close-combat training he though, though it figures Axle would play around like that! 

“Yes, I strive to invade it!” Galvatron smirked back. The Autobot wasn’t too mad since he was sticking around and even if he didn’t know it, he had proven a point. “Axle” wasn’t any real harm, or at least the Autobot would think so now. Horsing around but totally harmless is what the Autobot will think. Now Cliffjumper would relax a bit more, at least mentally, because “Axle” hadn’t hurt him even though he had the chance. 

With a final huffy glare, Cliffjumper plopped himself against the wall. “Pervert. Why do I put up with you?” he asked in a teasing tone. 

“My charming good looks?” Galvatron replied with another smirk. 

With a roll of his optics, Cliffjumper let it drop, instead asking, “How do you manage to get here when I do?”

“I just plop by when I have a bit of time, sometimes you’re here sometimes you’re not. Either way it’s a good break.”

“Stop wasting the energon, I usually have my afternoons off.” Cliffjumper mentioned off hand. It was kind of nice that someone would make such an effort just to meet up with him, but he’d never say that out loud.

With a pleased nod, Galvatron sat down next the mini. He knew that already, but it was better learning it from the mini-bot’s own mouth. “So how’s life as a big bad Autobot?”

“Same old, same old. Though Mirage’s been grinding my gears recently” Cliffjumper admitted. The bot would not give him any peace…Granted, HE didn’t give him any back, but still! 

“Mirage?” Galvatron knew the bot, a formal noble with an electro disrupter that could render him invisible. In the early stages of the war he would ambush Decepticon camps, but they beefed up security and it seemed Ultra Magnus disapproved of such sneak attacks. Now he just collected intel, but he was too good at it to be ignored. It seemed Cliffjumper disliked the bot, but considering his political opinions, he would be the one to hate a noble. 

“Typical Towers bot” Cliffjumper sneered with a roll of his optics, “Hardly ever goes on the front lines with the rest of us and when he does it’s always with that creepy gizmo of his. And he’s always going on and on about the Golden Age.” 

“Doesn’t sound like the most aware or dependable of bots. How’d he get to join the Autobots?” 

“I’m still asking myself that question! If anything I think he’d be with you guys—“Cliffjumper motioned at Galvatron. “—a neutral! But I think it’s because of Hound.” He added thoughtfully. The green bot had vouched for Mirage when the bot first joined the ranks and remained his closest friend. “Hound’s word is really the one we’re taking when Mirage is concerned.” 

Galvatron stored away that bit of information. If Hound and Mirage were so close, they could be used against each other. On top of that, if Hound was so well trusted, they might be able to use him to sneak in some cons in the bot ranks or interrogate him for information. And Mirage might get sick of being so distrusted after a while. It may prove beneficial to give the bot other options…

“Do you work with him often?” Galvatron asked. 

“No, thank Primus! I’m stuck to scouting and security, with the occasional second-strike if I’m lucky.” Cliffjumper grumbled, crossing him arms and kicking up a bit of dust with his ped. 

“What’s that like?” Galvatron asked, “The security work I mean.”

“Paperwork.” Cliffjumper growled. “I don’t know how the higher ups do it. It’s the same thing again and again and again! Duty rosters and protocols and updates to the security system! Ugh! ” Cliffjumper grabbed his head in frustration. “I’m getting a processor ache just thinking about it!”

Galvatron was practically giddy with the news! Cliffjumper knew so much and he didn’t even realize it! One peek at the security layout or a glance at the duty rosters was all he needed to plan a full scale attack on the Autobot base! He mustn’t act too quickly though, or act too interested. “Still, it must be nice? Having that responsibility and trust placed on you? 

“Hardly! I first got stuck with it as punishment detail. Since I did a half-decent job it’s become a regular thing. I never look at anything super important anyway, just the grunt stuff. I think they just want an excuse to keep me off the front lines, but Primus forbid I ever gets stuck behind a desk!” Cliffjumper moaned away. He was actually a full-fledged member of the security team, but bots tended to get tight lipped when they knew that. Besides, most of what he did concerned physically updating the security system, since he was one of the few that could fit under the computer panels. It really sucked being so small sometimes. “What about you? What do you do with the neutrals?” Cliffjumper asked Galvatron. 

“A bit of everything. But I’m usually the one that gets stuck with the heavy lifting.” Galvatron replied, the lie came out as smooth as high-grade. 

“Won’t they miss you?” 

“Nah, bots always come and go with us” Galvatron threw out. “what about with you? Won’t your teammates notice you’re gone?”

“I don’t go out very often and there aren’t any restrictions on coming out when we’re off duty. A lot of the bots do it actually.”

“Really? Why?”

“Some go stir-crazy, but a lot have friends and family nearby, residing on the civilian bases, so they go out for them.”

“Oh?” Galvatron hadn’t known that. Would it be worthwhile to attack on those bases? Or would it just piss the Autobots off? Would there even be enough supplies on those bases to validate a raid? He’d have to look into it later. “What about you? You ever go off to these bases?”

Cliffjumper stared silently at the rubble. “No.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“No, it’s fine. I just…don’t have a family to visit anymore. I never had much to begin with, but the ones I was closest too are either dead…or beyond my reach.” He replied, looking off into the distant rubble. 

Galvatron wondered what he meant by that, but decided against digging any further. He thought about his own family, or rather the lack there off. Before the war, he was an officer in the Cybertronian Planetary Army, born and bred for combat. The closest thing he had to a family were his teammates, and even then he had to watch them die or run. There wasn’t anyone left now. 

Slowly he snaked his arm around the minibot’s hunched form. For a moment, it looked like Cliffjumper would throw it off, but when Galvatron somberly said “I understand,” he let it lie. 

End chapter 5


	6. A Little Treat

Galvatron wouldn’t admit it, but he was in a horrible mood when he went to visit Cliffjumper. The Deceptions had lost an enormous energon reserve today. With this war depending more and more on resources and who had them, he was NOT a happy warlord.   
Still, he dragged himself to the destroyed building to hear Cliffjumper boast, reminding himself of the eventual payoff. If Cliffjumper’s increasing acceptance of his touches and jokes were a clue, he was slowly but surely weeding his way into the minibot’s spark. 

Cliffjumper arrived not too long after, a bit of a skip on his step and a huge grin on his faceplate. 

Smothering a soft groan, Galvatron simply asked, “good day?”

“Great day!” Cliffjumper replied, coming to a stop right in front of the larger bot’s peds. “Awesome day! And I want to share it with you!”

Galvatron cocked his head in confusion. Unless the bot had hidden most of the energon that was formally his in his subspace, he doubted the situation would be much improved.   
Cliffjumper did however pull out a bottle of one of his personal favorite high-grades from his subspace, along with two cubes. “I managed to barter this off Sideswipe. He grabbed some of the fancier stuff when he first found the stash.”

So it was Sideswipe that Galvatron had to thank for this loss? Nice to know who to blame now. Unaware of Galvatron’s thoughts for revenge, Cliffjumper plopped himself against a wall, facing the rising moons. Popping the cork, he happily patted the space next to him, scooting over to make room for Gavatron’s larger form as the Decepticon reluctantly plopped down. 

Cliffjumper generously filled their glasses with the rich glowing energon. Handing Galvatron his glass he held up his own in a toast. Grudgingly, Galvatron did the same, “To the Autobots?” he asked, nearly gaging. This was humiliating, toasting his own defeat. 

But Cliffjumper shook his head no, instead raising his glass to the sky. “To Energon. May it always be there to keep us going.” 

Galvatron stared at the bot in surprise. It was not the victory his was celebrating, but the energon that ran through every bot. How…humble. He raised his own glass, glad that he didn’t have to listen to gloating about the battle but could spend a nice evening getting plastered. “To Energon…”  
And with that, he watched as Cliffjumper took a deep gulp of his cube, apparently unaware of the kick, as an instant after he swallowed, the minibot went into a mad coughing fit. 

Taking a quick sip of his own glass, Galvatron savored the strong potent taste of refined energon before helping Cliffjumper get over his fit. 

He wasn’t in so bad a mood now…

End chapter 6


	7. Digging a Little Deeper

Galvatron sat in the shade while Cliffjumper perched himself on a boulder in front of him, acting out a little show as he told a story. They had been meeting more and more often for several mega-cycles now. He had gained some info, like some camera locations and patrol patterns, but he had to be careful when to use his intel. 

“…and then Sides decided to team up with Wheeljack! Everyone was scrapping pink goo off themselves for cycles!”

Cliffjumper started laughing like crazy as he recalled the image of Tracks screaming like a little femme when the goo hit him. Galvatron chuckled, genuinely enjoying Cliffjumper’s story…and surprisingly enough, his laugh. Over time and their constant meetings, he had actually grown a bit attached to the minibot. With him, he didn’t have to act like the powerful warlord he was and it had been a long time since he had relaxed like this with anyone. That he should do it with an Autobot was perhaps the greatest irony, but he couldn’t find a fault great enough to stop meeting him. 

“…you know what…” Cliffjumper said softly, “you never really tell me anything about your friends or any other neutrals...Why is that?” The thought had been in the back of his mind for some time now. It was almost as if Axle didn’t have any friends worth talking about and the thought was rather depressing. Sure, Axle was a perv and could be a bit of a loon, but he was a good guy overall. 

“No reason really, I just prefer your stories. And I really don’t have any of my own.” Galvatron supplied quickly. “We stick together for safety but we don’t really interact like friends.” Galvatron may have planned a life for Axle but he hadn’t gone so far as to give him friends or anything, so he fell back on his relationship with his Deceptions. The best lies always had a bit of truth in them after all. And what he had said was true with his men. After all, the Decepticons were an army first and foremost…the though had never really seemed so bad before but now, speaking with Cliffjumper like this, he almost regretted that fact. He could not speak like this with his Decepticons, even those closest to him in the chain of command. To do so would be to look weak. Emotions were not meant to be in war… 

Cliffjumper remained in a thoughtful silence. It was unusual to see the bot sit still for any longer than a minute. Galvatron almost feared he said something wrong when the minibot spoke again, “That’s… actually rather depressing. I mean, Magnus and the other commanders, even though we drive them crazy, they’re always encouraging us to hang out with each other. I know who I’m fighting with. They’re friends or friends of friends.”

“Doesn’t that hurt? To watch your comrades die around you?” Galvatron asked. 

“…sometimes…It isn’t hard to see where some bots come from. There are a few, who don’t talk much and stick to themselves…but…I think we should remember them. Our friends who didn’t make it and… fight for them. To me, and a bunch of other mechs, it’s incentive. It’s a reason to keep fighting. It hurts yeah…but I’d rather be remembered as an actual mech then as an unrecognized name on a death list.”

“…I suppose…”

“And isn’t that kind of lonely? Being around bots but not being a part of them?”

Galvatron didn’t really have an answer to that one, but something else did suddenly become clear. He was lonely. He never really realized it before. He didn’t have friends. A few close acquaintances that he respected, yes… but no real friends. Friends like the one’s Cliffjumper described who played pranks on him or took over monitor duty or saved a spot for him in the rec room. He had advisors and subordinates and followers…but not friends. No one had ever dug deep enough to be friends with him. Until now.   
But that was concerning in itself. Now that he had a friend…more than a friend in Cliffjumper, the sting of loneliness made itself known. Would he be able to forget it again…? 

End chapter 7


	8. Anger, Hate and Guilt

Galvatron arrived at the abandoned building to find Cliffjumper in a murdering rage. 

The small Autobot was flinging huge pieces of rubble everywhere, destroying an entire wall of concrete. He could hear the growls of the mini over the crushing slams of the debris. When he ran out of rubble on the floor he started punching the wall, chipping the stone and hurting his hands. He kept punching, even as the wall turned pink with the energon flowing from his servo. 

“Cliffjumper!” Galvatron shouted, running towards him. He knew why he was upset. The Autobots had lost that morning’s battle, totally and completely. Galvatron had been very pleased when Ultra Magnus called the retreat, but looking at Cliffjumper now...hurt. “Stop!” he shouted desperately. 

“Primus – fragging – glitch – headed – CONS!!!” Cliffjumper shouted, continuing to punch the wall. Galvatron grabbed the smaller bot’s wrist before he could hit it again. He immediately had to let go though as Cliff snarled and took a slash at him. “Don’t mess with me!” 

Galvatron held his hands up in surrender. He watched as the other bot took a deep shuddering intake, obviously struggling to calm himself. He wondered briefly if the mini was a berserker. It would explain why he wasn’t allowed on the front lines very often. Berserkers could be a curse and a blessing on the battlefield, depending on if they could handle themselves, which Cliffjumper very likely could not with his size and temper. 

Cliffjumper clenched his fist, focusing on the pain of his bloody knuckles, watching the drops hit the floor. “I’m gonna kill ‘um….” He growled softly. “I’m gonna kill every last one of ‘um…”

Galvatron stared, his gut clenching just a bit. He had never felt so threatened with Cliffjumper before. He had always been Axle , but the fact that he was actually a Decepticon was ringing loud and clear now, like a slap to the faceplate. He didn’t know why this time was different though. He admitted the victory was pleasing but he wasn’t blind. One battle wasn’t the entire war. Surly the Autobot knew this as well. “What happened, Cliffjumper?”

The question obviously made the bot furious again. “slagging cons…They’re monsters Axle , all of them…one of my friends got separated during the battle…and some cons cornered him…”

“Did they-?” 

“No! That’s the cruel part….” Cliffjumper snarled clenching his knuckles so hard they started bleeding harder. He shook with rage at the memory of his friend in the med bay. 

“They raped him Axle ! They tore him open and took the best part of him!” His chassis had been a gaping hole of broken clasps and bent and torn metal! His spark had been so faded that if it wasn’t beating so frantically they would have thought it was gone. He hadn’t even been able to scream anymore, he was so empty. “They took it…like it was nothing Axle ! Nothing!” 

Galvatron had not expected that. He himself disapproved of rape. With spark merging, bots could feel what their partner felt and he didn’t see the appeal of feeling pain or fear, even if it was secondary to the usual pleasure that came with spark-merging. The power rush wasn’t as good as consenting pleasure to him. But he didn’t prevent his men from doing it, if only to the enemy. 

“…He’s sputtering in the medbay now…” Cliffjumper added, flinching at the memory. “…too broken to even cry anymore… but those slagging cons are going to pay for it…every single one of them.”

Galvatron avoided Cliffjumper’s hard gaze, staring at his injured hands. 

The energon kept dripping to the floor. 

Chapter 8 end


	9. Bygones and Grudges

Their next few meetings could only be described as incredibly tense. Cliffjumper was broody and silent, glaring darkly towards the Decepticon base. If Galvatron didn’t keep him talking, the minibot would growl himself into another rage. 

At the same time, Galvatron grew sick in the pit of his tank. The detail with which Cliffjumper described the attack and his friend’s slow and still uncertain road to recovery took much of his previous excitement out of the meetings. Those late afternoons of jokes and stories felt so far in the past, and Galvatron was desperate to get them back, asking about the other bots or the new recruits or the prank wars. 

Then, one day, as Galvatron leaned against the wall, mentally preparing himself for another round of sickly guilt, he spotted Cliffjumper running towards him. 

“Axle!” Cliffjumper called out with a smile when he finally reached the larger purple bot. It had been a while since Galvatron had seen that smile. He didn’t realize he would miss it so much. “He’s finally awake Axle!”

“Your friend? That’s great! How is he now?”

“He’s all patched up physically and he’s got some sessions with Smokescreen to look forward to, but’s it’s so great seeing him out of the critical ward.” Cliffjumper was practically gushing. 

“I’m glad for you Cliffjumper” Galvatron added with a soft smile. For a moment Cliffjumper stared back at him softly, shifting on his peds. Suddenly, before he changed his mind, the minibot moved forward and wrapped his arms around the Decepticon’s legs in an awkward hug. Cliffjumper barely reached Galvatron’s waist, but Galvatron still froze at the touch. Cliffjumper was not big on any form of contact that didn’t involve hi-fives or slaps on the back, so this hug was a huge deal. 

“Thanks for being there for me Axle.” Cliffjumper murmured, burning red and avoiding the larger bots gaze. “It meant a lot.” This was the first time Cliffjumper had really opened up to him. It felt like a great personal victory! Too think he had come so far! 

Galvatron reached down to hug the small bot, “No problem at all Cliffjumper.” Suddenly, all those days of brooding seemed worth it. 

End chapter 9


	10. An Interlude

Cliffjumper was late. He and Axle usually met around this time and he wasn’t even off the base yet! He had been held up delivering some last minute reports to the officers.   
Skidding around the corner, he slammed into Powerglide, sending both himself and the orange pilot to the ground. “Scrap!” Cliffjumper cursed, “Sorry about that Powerglide.”

“Don’t worry about it Cliff, no harm done.” Powerglide stood and dusted himself off, he was a pretty laid back mech. “What’s the rush?” he asked. Cliffjumper wasn’t the kind of bot that sped up for most people, so either he was running away from something or he was meeting someone important. 

“I’m a bit late Powerglide, I can’t really talk” Cliffjumper said rapidly, unaware of the light blush on his faceplates. He hoped Axle hadn’t left yet. Their meeting place was just equidistant from the Decepticon and Autobot bases, a kind of no-bot’s land, but if he drove where he could, he’d make it in a few minutes. 

“Hey, no-prob, you head on out! I’ll catch you later Cliff! You’re coming to the poker game right!?” 

“I’ll be there!” With that, Cliffjumper zoomed for the exit, leaving a very amused Powerglide in his wake. Whoever Cliffjumper was going to meet, he must mean a lot to the minibot if he could blush like that. It actually made him a bit curious, but if he didn’t know already, he’d find out through the rumor mill when it got big enough. 

Meanwhile, Cliffjumper motored through the maze of debris towards the meeting place. He hadn’t given much thought to these meetings, though they’d become more and more frequent. Being with Axle was just…fun. He could almost call it a habit now and he felt off whenever he missed a meeting. 

The highlight of his day had slowly become his meetings with Axle; when he could talk about anything! From the prank wars to his security duties, from politics to dirty jokes. Sometimes he worried that Axle didn’t enjoy these meetings as much as he did, since he really didn’t talk much. Surly it must get boring after a while, right? But Axle kept coming, kept listening and kept asking questions. He wouldn’t if he wasn’t interested right? 

At first, Axle mostly asked questions about bots and duties and technical stuff. But recently, he had gone beyond that, asking about his friends and his day and how the gossip mill was running and who was ahead in the prank wars. It was almost like he was a part of the crew with how much he knew about everyone. 

That got Cliffjumper thinking.

Axle didn’t really have any friends among the neutrals. No one he was really close too, no one that he talked about or mentioned. But what if he wanted some? What if he wanted more friends and was asking to know about them, to feel some type of connection? Cliffjumper didn’t want to dig too far into it and raise his hopes, but…what if Axle wanted to become an Autobot? What if he wanted to join and actually meet these bots and be friends with them like he is with Cliffjumper? 

It was actually a really cool thought. But beyond asking questions and hanging out, Axle never actually said anything about joining or wanting to join, so Cliffjumper kept quiet about it. Maybe, Cliffjumper thought, maybe someday he would want to join. But even if he didn't, it didn't change anything. What’s a brand between friends like him and Axle ? Just because Axle wasn’t an Autobot, didn’t mean he wasn’t a good guy. 

Still, Cliffjumper resolved to at least offer an invite to Axle …soon…

A ditch came up ahead of him. Speeding up, he propelled himself over it, kicking up dust as his tires hit the other side. He was almost there. 

Chapter 10 end


	11. Thoughts and Calls

Galvatron was not listening to a word that came out of Lugnut’s vocalizer. Though the battle copter was probably his most loyal follower, present since day one and blind enough to continue until the final end, the bot was, simply put, annoying. The constant fawning and praises and declarations of glory got ridiculous after a while. But it did keep the copter going, leaving Galvatron’s mind plenty of time and space to wander. 

He wasn’t going to be able to meet Cliffjumper today. He had too many meetings and preparations for a raid in a few days—a raid that had actually slipped his processor for a while, until the copter brought it up again. He had been spending so much time with Cliffjumper and though it didn’t feel long or wrong, it was beginning to interfere with his duties. Galvatron wouldn’t let THAT happen, no matter how close they got or how attached he became. He must not put the Autobot ahead of the Decepticons, no matter how much he wanted to ditch the boring meeting. 

Cliffjumper’s stories were much more entertaining. Not only were the humorous, but they were honest. Cliffjumper never spared himself or anyone else when telling a story; he’d laugh at everyone’s mistakes just as quickly as he’d express admiration for their acts, even if it was a bit grudgingly. Well, so long as they weren’t a Decepticon. Cliffjumper rarely spoke of the Decepticons, beyond a few episodes of payback or hate or disgust. He never spoke of his experiences with the Decepticons in battle, or how their attacks affected him, or even some soldiers he was familiar with. He spoke of the Autobots and the Neutrals, of the Golden Age and politics, of Energon and religion and even of a few of his future dreams, but rarely of the Cons and never of his past. 

Then again Galvatron, or “Axle ” really, never spoke of himself, or anything really at all. Cliffjumper lead the conversation and though Galvatron was far from minding, he sometimes wondered how the minibot came up with his topics and why he avoided others. 

A projection popped up from the table, depicting the target of the raid. Lugnut had finally finished his serenade on the glory of the Decepticons and the meeting could officially start. They went over traps and paths and transport routes, they scoured maps and came up with counterattacks to counterattacks, everybot in the room was busy. But around sunset, Galvatron checked his chronometer as though by instinct. Cliffjumper and he would probably be chatting it up right now, trading jokes and watching the sun vanish under the plain. He hadn’t been able to tell Cliffjumper in advance that he wouldn’t be there tonight. He hoped the minibot wouldn’t be too angry with him.   
As the meeting dragged on, Galvatron repeatedly checked his clock. With every passing minute he felt guiltier. He hoped Cliffjumper went home, though his spark fluttered a bit at the thought of the minibot waiting for him. 

When the meeting was finally over, it was well past midnight. 

As Galvatron walked to his room, he couldn’t shake the feeling of claustrophobia. The walls of the base were smothering him, the air was too stale and he felt trapped. Deciding on just a quick flight, he flew off into the sky, telling himself he was just wiped out from the meeting. Hat he just wanted some fresh air.   
He couldn’t fly far, so he may as well visit their spot he thought. He didn’t expect Cliffjumper to still be there. Not this late. But even as he told himself that, his spark fell a bit when he entered the empty building. 

Feeling a bit like a fool, Galvatron turned around sharply, more than ready to fly back to base. But perched by the broken doorway, sheltered from the wind and any sharp optics, was a small datapad. Picking it up, the bright screen glowed with the first phrase “To: Axle .”

Smiling despite himself, Galvatron planted himself on the ground by the doorway, hidden as the pad was to read the short note. “Axle , I’m assuming you are NOT dead and simply missed our meeting on account of some neutral business. Gotta say, you gave me a bit of a scare there big guy! So, if it’s not too much for you, give me a heads up next time! See you later! –CJ” and below that…was a comm number. 

Galvatron immediately saved the number, programing it to link with his private line. Tucking the pad into subspace, he took off back to base, planning to call Cliffjumper as soon as he arrived. 

When he reached his room, he locked his doors and planted himself on the bed; calling the number with a thought and a touch to his comm system. He had nothing to fear from a private line. Security systems were targeted towards larger data packs, not private conversations. There was a soft ping, before Cliffjumper’s voice filled his head :Hello?:

“Hey cutie” Galvatron smirked, unable to resist the nickname. 

Cliffjumper released a sign, though whether it was of relief or exasperation was debatable. :Nice to know my note was found.:

“Oh yes, it was a most pleasant surprise” Galvatron purred, “Just imagine what we could do with it…”

He could almost see Cliffjumper’s blush as he sputtered on the line. :At least try and keep it clean, this is just an emergency or notice thing ok?: Sadly, Galvatron would have to agree with that. Even if private lines weren’t monitored, their use was. The more they spoke to each other, the more likely they would attract attention. They’d have to keep their calls short and sweet. 

Galvatron listened to some sort of background noise, it sounded like a voice. It was! For a second, Galvatron wondered what Cliffjumper was doing with someone so late at night. But then, with a smirk in his tone, the mystery bot asked :You ok CJ? Looking a little warm there, thoughts in the gutter?:

With another stutter Cliffjumper replied :I’m not YOU Sides! Go bug you’re twin, HE needs it!: 

:Fine, fine, but that red faceplate of yours tells me I’m right!: and with a snicker, Sideswipe’s voice faded off, leaving Galvatron smirking and suppressing proud chuckles. Even on comms he could make the mini-bot burn. 

: Shut-it: Cliffjumper growled back at him, making Galvatron chuckle more. 

“Up past your bed time aren’t you?” he teased. 

:Poker night: Cliffjumper replied simply. 

Galvatron smirked again, “Winning much?”

: Not really: The minibot replied and with another sigh, Cliffjumper gave up and asked :So, you ok?:

“Yes, thank you. I just had to help move camp.” Galvatron found himself smiling softly, even though Cliffjumper couldn’t see it. It was so sweet of the minibot to show some concern, considering how private he usually was. He wanted to give the bot a hug, just to make him squeal and turn red. He missed his daily dose of Cliffjumper. “We’re not finished yet, so I don’t know how soon we’ll be able to meet again…” Galvatron whispered out, trying to reason with himself as much as Cliffjumper, “…but I’ll call you a soon as I’m no longer needed.” 

After a slight pause, Cliffjumper answered back simply :It’s OK, I understand. You have responsibilities you need to take care of. Let me know when the labor’s done and I’ll bring the highgrade!: 

“I can’t wait…” Galvatron replied. “…I’ll miss you Cliffjumper.”

:…Same here Axle. G’night…:

“see you later…”

The comms ended with a cold click. Galvatron went to sleep gazing at the pad. That night Cliffjumper counted the numbers of “Axle’s” comm until recharge struck him as well. 

End chapter 11


	12. Withdrawal

(Warning: Spark Masturbation)

Galvatron smothered growls of frustration as he checked over the energy reports for the third time. None of the information was sticking in his processor. He’d been growing increasingly distracted for the last deca-cycle and a half. Numbers and reports blurred as his thoughts drifted to a certain red minibot. 

It seemed distance did make the spark grow fonder, in more ways than one. He missed his conversations with the minibot, their jokes and naps. Staying inside the base, planning, something that had once felt so natural, seemed so wrong now. He was smothering behind concrete and steel. His troops respected him and admired him, but no one saw him as a friend or bot. It was just as he had feared. Becoming friends with Cliffjumper had unveiled the pain of loneliness he had previously been able to ignore. Now that he knew what belonging felt like, he felt ostracized among his own men, excluded from his generals and alone in a base of hundreds. It didn’t make any sense how such a tiny bot like Cliffjumper could leave such a gaping hole in his life. It was never supposed to happen. 

Galvatron could still remember when he hadn’t cared about the minibot, when he was simply a means towards an ends, a tool to be discarded once it had outlasted its purpose. Now the thought sent shivers up his spine. Now, he couldn’t imagine losing Cliffjumper. 

In fact, the only thing he could think about was getting closer to him. 

He wanted more. He wanted to hold Cliffjumper, to possess him. Maybe if –when!—Galvatron had just tasted Cliffjumper’s spark, this feeling would pass. Bots always wanted what they didn’t have, and once they had it, they would move onto the next thing. Perhaps this would be the same. Perhaps, once he had gotten everything from Cliffjumper: his body and spark, Galvatron would be satisfied. 

Galvatron didn’t really believe it, but it made him feel a bit stronger. Love, if he dared think the word, was too great a risk in this situation. Lust would have to do.   
Another image of the minibot invaded Galvatron’s processor as he walked to his quarters, ignoring the bots in the halls that stood at attention as he passed as he imagined Cliffjumper’s burning faceplate caught in the middle of an overload. His spark throbbed inside his chassis, reaching out for any sort of contact. Their short calls only added to his material with sighs and laughs and groans. Cliffjumper had been the star of his dreams lately, both offline and on. During the day his spark would smolder with suppressed energy, finally bursting open when he locked the doors to his quarters. 

The leader of the Decepticons should have been sleeping, but he couldn’t with so much charge flowing through his systems. Laying on his bed, the purple bot finally sought his relief. He teased his spark chamber, lingering on the transformations seams on his chassis, imagining tiny servos and a small hot mouth. He just knew Cliffjumper would reach into those deep places, stroking wires never reached before, sensitive from isolation. The mini would be so warm, so light, all digits and glossa. 

Groaning, Galvatron pet his spark, sending small jolts of electricity through his fingertips. His spark flared and he imagined Cliffjumper sending those jolts, spark throbbing as he moaned, lost in lust and desperate for release. He could almost picture the minibot’s face, blushing and flooded with pleasure.   
The tiny bot would drown in his spark, the energy would knock him offline, but Galvatron knew he wouldn’t give up without a fight. He would give as good as he got, send jolt after jolt flooding through his systems. Dig those tiny fingers into every seam he could reach and pinch every wire.The Cliffjumper in his dreams cursed and screamed and bit his lip a pleasure hit him dead on. Those short legs would clamp around his hips, joints locking as they grinded their sparks together. His blue optics would glow white with energy and his platting would steam with the heat. 

He pumped his spark chamber faster, increasing the charges, imagining it was Cliffjumper’s servos charging him up. Electricity filtered in the air, making his comm link crackle with static as he finally overloaded, unable to hold back. His teeth clenched harshly as he smothered a carnal roar. 

The overload was intense, but he knew it couldn’t compare to the real thing. There were so many things he wanted to do with Cliffjumper. Galvatron would love to tease him, lick slowly around his spark chamber, pin him down and make him beg for mercy. As he slipped into recharge, probably to face another night of minibot dreams, he couldn’t help that think that, this separation couldn’t go on…not with such powerful withdrawal affects…

End chapter 12


	13. New Ideas

(Warning: masturbation)

Cliffjumper lay still in his bunk, staring at the bars that held the upper mattress. He threw his blanket off him, letting it clump together at the foot of the bed. It was the middle of the night and he was tired as slag, but he knew from experience that sleep wasn’t coming. 

It’s been two deca-cycles since he last saw Axle. They sent a few text messages back and forth, but they had to keep those and the calls short and sweet, and by primus the mech’s notes and calls were sweet. The purple mech didn’t seem to have any shame. He was so open about how he felt. :I’m missing my dose of Cliffjumper:,:Can’t wait to see you again cutey:, :I dreamt about you last night…:

Even when the bot was nowhere near him he still managed to make Cliffjumper blush like a sealed bot right out of school. All with just with his voice! That purr haunted his dreams! 

The neutral had invaded his mind! Dreams of servos and sparks and energon tortured him every night. That voice smooth as high-grade and that deep chuckle. He woke up revving to go every time, shaking with want and smothering moans to keep from waking up his roommates. 

Sometimes, if it was late enough to qualify as early morning, he’d sneak out softly and cool down with a cold shower in the wash-racks before starting an early shift. The first time that had happened, Huffer had assumed he was sick and when Cliffjumper said he wasn’t, he moved to the clone theory. His superiors were just as surprised about his sudden interest in work. But even when he went to bed exhausted, he still woke up, spark burning with want. And sometimes he woke up in the middle of the night, so he’d have to lay there in silence till morning or sleep came again, like now. 

Cliff stared at the bars, searching for an answer. He didn’t know what to do; he didn’t know how Axle got to him in the first place. He’d admit the bot was handsome and charming in a…different, special kind of way. He just had that kind of presence. A presence that he just grew to feel natural in…a presence he was really starting to miss. When they spoke on the comm. it was almost like a tease, especially with all of the bigger bot’s innuendos and jokes. It was driving him up the wall! 

It had to be this prolonged separation! He didn’t give more than a passing thought to Axle’s body when they spoke and saw each other every day, but being apart had given him ideas and now he couldn’t get rid of them. He wanted to see Axle …more than that! He wanted to feel the huge bot. His spark surged with heat, tickling the walls of his chamber. With another check of his chronometer Cliffjumper dubbed it early enough to head out for the showers.

Silently, he crawled out of his bunk and tiptoed for the door, sparing his roommates a quick glance before he left. Huffer was still snoring on the top bunk and Gears was curled up against the wall of the middle bunk, both sound asleep. 

Cliffjumper forced himself to walk calmly to the showers, overriding his spark when his chamber doors tried to open halfway there. As soon as he came to the tiled rooms of the showers he locked himself in a private rack and finally released his spark with a heavy moan. 

Turning on the water he shivered as the cold rain made his hot plating steam up. Axle’s smirk flashed through his processor, making his spark throb with want. Cliffjumper groaned a soft, “Slag…”

Checking to make sure the door was really locked Cliffjumper bit his lip as he softly traced the contours of his spark chamber. Just that sent pleasure through his circuits, making him gasp harshly. He had to take care of this quickly. 

Turning off his vocalizer and bracing himself against the wall, Cliffjumper dug into his spark, petting it heavily and teasing his walls, coaxing it to shoot out jolts of energy and feel the relay of his metal fingers. It wasn’t nearly as good as a full link up but it did the job. 

Cliffjumper tied to imagine what it would feel like if Axle’s huge hands were inside him. Those servos could smother his spark in a single hand, it was a mystery how they could appear so gentle. Axle seemed like a bot who loved to tease, slowly pulling out an overload after slow torture. He could imagine the bot petting his spark and sending soft jolts through his systems. Cliffjumper could admit he was a hard lover, fast and powerful, but Axle was more than capable of slowing him down and Cliffjumper couldn’t find it in himself to hate the idea. 

A warning popped up on his screen, he was over heating with this slow torture. He could practically feel his energon boil. Cliffjumper’s knees shook as he stroked his spark faster. In his head Axle purred, “Let go Cutey” moving his large servos against Cliffjumper’s frame, teasing his seams and triggering the delicate sensors in his horns.   
Cliffjumper let out a silent scream as electricity flowed through his system and sent sparks through the air. If he hadn’t shut down his vocalizer, he’d probably had awaken the whole base. Sliding to the ground, spent, Cliffjumper moaned softly, the water cooling down his frame. Axle teased him in his head, “verrrrry nice cutey.” With another satisfied groan, Cliff mumbled a weak, “shut-up” and closed him chamber. 

Just as he recovered and stood on shaky legs to really shower, he heard a click of the main door opening, some other bots were coming into the showers; the night shift had probably ended, it seemed he finished just in time, pretty lucky. Hopefully that luck would hold out and today would be the day he’d get to see Axle again…or at least he’d get tired enough to actually sleep at night. 

End chapter 13


	14. The Call

Cliffjumper missed the first call. 

It had come right after their battle with the Decepticons and he had been scrambling with everyone else to organize and repair and regroup. The Cons had launched three separate attacks on a refinery, a storage site and an energon mine. It was one of their larger and more brutal raids. They had gotten away with a lot of energon but they hadn’t managed to actually take over any of the locations, which was as good a consolation prize as he was going to get. But now, he and every other Autobot was checking things over, doing inventory and trying to get some clear numbers on their losses. 

So when his comm chimed in the middle of a briefing with Kup, he had ignored with without paying close attention to the number. It wasn’t until he finally had a chance to breathe that he realized he had missed Axle ’s call. Heading for his room on his break and luckily finding it empty, he called back. 

:Cliffjumper?: Axle asked after the first ring. 

“Hey” Cliffjumper replied, throat suddenly dry, “Sorry about missing your call, things got a bit crazy today.”

:Decepticon attack right? I heard, are you alright?: Cliffjumper smiled as he heard the soft question. It felt nice to be worried about. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. You and your group ok?”

: Yes: Axle returned :We’re alright…: 

Silence stretched between them. Cliffjumper suddenly felt very awkward, considering his new thoughts on Axle. As he was about to speak, Axle blurted out: Can we meet?: quickly, as though uncertain. 

Without even thinking about it, or how he was going to get off base, or how others would see it, Cliffjumper answered “yes!”

The minibot was walking for the door as Axle said :meet you there: and clicked off. 

End chapter 14


	15. First Kiss

Axle had beaten him there. As Cliffjumper came sliding down the final slope in vehicle mode, the taller purple bot rushed over to meet him. Cliffjumper eagerly took him in, reacquainting himself with the taller bot’s image. His purple paint gleamed in the sun, making him look brighter and bigger. His crest stood tall and his thrusters were still humming from the flight. Those huge servos clenched and unclenched with excitement and his took a few long steps to Cliffjumper. The minibot prayed he wasn’t blushing as he remembered his dreams. 

Cliffjumper didn’t know what he would have done if Axle hadn’t made his move when they met up halfway through the road, but he couldn’t bring himself to regret it. As soon as he was within grabbing distance of the taller bot, Axle picked him up and crushed his lips to his, desperately clutching the mini’s helm and waist against his own strong form.   
After a second to get over the shock, Cliffjumper simply gave into the larger bot’s kiss, wrapping his arms around the larger bot’s helm and opening his mouth to give the other bot better access. It was better than any of his fantasies. With a pleased growl, Axle ravaged Cliffjumper’s mouth, stealing the smaller bot’s breath away as he backed them up against the shelter. He held Cliffjumper up with no effort, pinning him to the wall and groping his aft. 

Cliffjumper squeaked as he felt the large hand and the concrete dig into his back. He didn’t think it would turn him on so much though. He fought for dominance in the kiss, sucking on the other bot’s glossa and nipping at his lip whenever they pulled away for a quick breath. It was a losing battle, but one Cliffjumper wasn’t disappointed about losing. He dug into Axle’s shoulder and neck seams, reaching for the thick cables and tweaking some sensitive wires to get the bot revving. 

The minibot whimpered as the taller bot broke their kiss with a growl, only to moan as that talented mouth moved to his neck. He could feel the vibrations as Axle spoke in between nips, “I’ve missed you so much Cliffjumper…You’ve no notion of how much I’ve missed you…” Axle bore into the small bot’s neck cables, savoring the taste and enjoying how it sent the minibot into a haze of pleasure. 

Cliffjumper swallowed thickly as he stared dumbly at the sun, moaning as me moved to pet Axle’s crest, “I think…I have an idea…I’ve missed you too…Axle.”  
At his fake name, Galvatron suppressed a snarl. He wanted Cliffjumper to scream HIS name, not some ridiculous alias. His imagination had tortured him with those sweet sighs and screams, all saying “Galvatron, Galvatron,” not Axle! He slowed in his ministrations, unwilling to stop but miffed that the name Cliffjumper was calling wasn’t his. 

“Ax-?” Galvatron cut off Cliffjumper with another kiss before he could say the name again. Cliffjumper squeaked as Galvatron pinned him harder against the wall. He could feel the concrete heat up behind his back as his core temperature surged. But as he moved to dig into Axle’s wires his comm rang out harshly and Kup yelled into his processor: Cliffjumper! Where the FRAG are you kid!? Get back to base pronto!: Clicking off harshly, Cliffjumper pulled away from the kiss with an angry “SCRAP!”

Surprised at the rage in the word, Galvatron pulled away. Cliffjumper cursed as he worked to override his franticly wanting spark. “I’m sorry, I have to go back. They’re waiting for me” he panted out, trying to regain his breath. “I’m sorry…”

Pulling back, Galvatron tried to reason with himself. He could force himself on the bot. It would hardly be forced when the mini was as revved up as he was, but it would hardly help their friendship. Taking a deep, calming breath, Galvatron swallowed his rage and nodded reluctantly. “…It’s alright” Galvatron mumbled out, working desperately to keep himself calm. 

“Primus, I’m so sorry” Cliffjumper said again, failing to keep the want out of his voice. 

Galvatron leaned forward for one more lingering kiss before placing him on the ground, “we’ll continue this next time.” 

Reluctant to leave, Cliffjumper merely nodded and said, “Looking forward to it” and headed back to base, burning with desire. 

As soon as he was out of sight, Galvatron punched through a wall, snarling. His spark festered with frustration and lust. He was so close! It was like a cruel taunt giving him a sample but withholding the main course. He almost forced himself on the bot, he need was so great. But at least he knew that Cliffjumper was as much a slave to that want as he was. 

End chapter 15


	16. Reality Check

Cliffjumper stood at attention, shame faced as Kup chewed him out. The taller green bot was not pleased with him after his little stunt. He had left in the middle of his duty shift, in the middle of a post-battle crisis! On any other occasion, not showing up after a battle meant you were dead. 

“What the FRAG possessed you to go out there right after a battle anyway!?” Kup hollered. Unsure if it was a rhetorical question, Cliffjumper stayed silent until Kup asked “Well!?” 

Praying to primus he wasn’t blushing like mad, Cliffjumper managed to choke out, “I just wanted to make sure a friend of mine was ok…”

Kup stared silently at him and Cliffjumper could almost feel his face heating up. “What sort of ‘friend’?”

“Neutral” Cliffjumper answered quickly. As Kup stared back at him, he knew he was red. Axle and their meeting had left him humming. He wanted to run back to the bot or at the very least hit the showers, but a horrible feeling in his chassis said he was going to have to deal with the charge till the end of an extra-long shift. 

Kup continued to stare at him, chewing on the nib of his Cy-gar, sending short blasts of chemicals into the air. Kup had been around for a long while; he was more than capable of identifying a bot in love even if they didn’t know it yet and damned if he didn’t see one in Cliffjumper. 

The mini had been heading out in the evenings for months, though for the last few mega-cycles he had been working overtime all the time. Either they had argued or the bot was dead or busy. Either way, this had to be a meeting of importance, to make Cliff abandon his Autobot duty. Cliffjumper was practically dancing on his peds, face red and smile un-suppressible. Oh yeah, the bot had it bad. “…Fine. But next time you skip out on duty—and there better not slagging be a next time!—you tell somebody! Understand!?” Kup yelled. While he really couldn’t blame Cliffjumper for caring for his ‘friend’ he could chew him out about the timing. 

The minibot nodded with ridiculous enthusiasm. 

Dismissed, he started heading for the shower racks. Before he got far however, Kup called back to him “Cliffjumper!” As the minibot turned around, he simply bit on his cy-gar and gruffly added, “Be careful ok? Don’t forget who and what you are here.” With that, the old warrior turned on his heel and started marching for the war room. 

As Cliffjumper stared confusedly at his back, he tried to think. He was an Autobot, a foot solider a security member. It wasn’t a crime to have…relations…with someone outside the army so long as they weren’t the enemy. Several Autobots had families and friends and lovers off base and in the civilian ranks. So long as it didn’t impede their duty, the higher ups didn’t mind at all. 

But Kup did have a point. 

He had left post battle, in the middle of organizing and looking over the damage, in the middle of his duty shift. He had to be careful. His duty as an Autobot was important, it had to come first. But he didn’t imagine any problems with balancing out his duties and his time with Axle. Wasn’t that what he was doing before? So long as did his job, his off hours were his and he planned on spending as many with Axle as he could. 

End chapter 16


	17. No Rush

Galvatron was exhausted. Organization of their newly acquired supplies, strategizing meetings, training and battle simulations, and or course celebrations for the victory on top of a hundred other things had been weighing heavily on him. Seeing Cliffjumper again, as wonderful as it was, also showed him just how hard he had been working. Even his lust had subsided into exhaustion. Now, he wanted a break, just some time to cool down with his favorite red minibot. 

He arrived first at their meeting place and took a seat in the shade of a wall taking a deep breath of outside air. He tried to let his body relax but he was still tense when Cliffjumper arrived. 

“You look like you just went one on one with Galvatron.”

At the sound of his real name, Galvatron jumped, staring at the minibot in shock. “What!?” he uttered dumbly, panicking. The minibot simply let out a chuckle. 

“Guess you were more out of it than I thought. What happened?” he asked as he sat down besides the larger bot. 

“Nothing, I just haven’t been able to relax recently and it suddenly hit me all at once.” Galvatron felt a bit embarrassed with himself. He shouldn’t have reacted like that to his name. He had gotten so used to being called Axle by Cliffjumper and even if he didn’t like it, Axle was who he was with the minibot. The perverted easy-going mech, not the serious detached leader of the Decepticons. And as strange as it was, Galvatron had begun to think of Axle as his real self, at least in attitude and personality. 

Cliffjumper stared at him in thought for a moment and then looked around the abandoned building. Spotting a small abandoned mattress, he stood up and dragged it over to their shady spot. “Here, lay on your front” he told Galvatron lightly. Curious, the taller bot did as he was asked, folding his thick arms to make himself a cushion. After a moment’s pause, which Galvatron was positive Cliffjumper spent staring at his aft and back, the minibot crawled onto his waist, “try to relax.”

The minibot slowly rubbed the seams of his plating, encouraging them to open up a little wider. It was all he needed to sink his small hands in and rub at the tense cables underneath. They were densely tangled and stiff, it was no wonder the bot was so stressed. He must have been aching. Slowly, Cliffjumper untangled the wires, rubbing them softly to get them to soften and relax, one at a time, sending the bot under him into heaven. 

Galvatron could feel the minibot’s thighs against the sides of his hips, rubbing the plating lightly as he moved to reach his broad shoulders. Every now and then he would sit back and rub his aft lightly against his back. But even those thoughts took a backseat to Cliffjumper’s work with his servos. Galvatron let out a happy groan as Cliffjumper smoothed the cables in his shoulders and back, relieving more pressure than he even thought he had. He left like a puddle of energon goo under Cliffjumper’s careful ministrations. 

Slowly, the tension vanished and was replaced with smooth warm bliss. It was like he was floating and it didn’t take long before he fell asleep, taking the feeling of those tiny servos digging around under his platting with him in his recharge. 

When Cliffjumper reached Galvatron’s lower back he stopped, smothering a blush. “Better?” he asked, but received no reply. Looking over the larger bot’s shoulder, he saw that his optics were offline and he was dozing. Smirking happily, Cliffjumper smothered a giggle and curled into Axle’s side. He listened to the other bot’s systems run in sleep while his heavy chest moved in and out with deep intakes. Content, Cliffjumper started out into the no-man’s zone. This would work out just fine. There wasn’t any rush for either of them. It wasn’t about lust, it was about support, friendship… it was more than he ever expected to come out of his one-time meeting with the neutral. 

End chapter 17


	18. In Sickness

When Cliffjumper arrived for their next meeting with a noticeable skip in his step, ‘Axle’ was reading the label of a very vintage, very refined, Kaon high grade. At the sight of the glowing red bottle, Cliffjumper stopped short, “where on Cybertron did you get THAT!?”

Axle smirked with pride, “I found it in a bombed out High-grade cellar. It was the only bottle that wasn’t broken.” This was actually true, though he had also been the one that ordered the area that housed the cellar to be bombed. It had been a very nice find. 

“Talk about luck” Cliffjumper exclaimed. Kaon High-grade was as refined and strong as it got. Considering it was meant for Decepticons, who needed more punch in their energon as it was, he supposed he shouldn’t be too surprised. “That’s probably the last bottle on Cybertron, unless Mirage hid a few. You sure you want to drink it?”

“I couldn’t think of a better opportunity” Axle replied, smiling. He had once agonized over sharing Decepticon energon with an Autobot, but it was just energon now and that bot was Cliffjumper. 

Sitting against a wall he placed the opened bottle by his peds and gestured for Cliffjumper to come over. When he was close enough, Axle pulled the minibot onto his lap, stealing a kiss and a grope before the flustered bot managed to pull away, red faced. “Slagger!” he sputtered, though it lacked its bite with his heavy blush. As Axle chuckled, the red mini turned himself around on the larger bot’s lap, making sure to skim every transformation seam along the way and lightly rubbing his aft against the other bot’s hips and groin. As Axle’s chuckle was interrupted by a moan of lust, Cliffjumper smirked. 

Hugging the smaller bot against his torso, Axle traced the lines on the mini’s thighs, “teasing isn’t nice Cutey.”

“You started it” Cliffjumper replied, digging his hand into a gap in Galvatron’s armor, pinching a wire inside. Axle twitched sharply, nearly knocking over the bottle of high grade. “Careful, or that Kaon High grade will be feeding the ground”

With a soft growl, Axle pulled two glasses out of subspace, holding them out in front of the mini on his lap to be filled. Cliffjumper grabbed the bottle with slight trepidation, filling one glass midway for Axle and the other less than a fourth. “Better not push it with this stuff” he explained at Axle’s questioning hum. 

“How unusual of you to show…restraint.” 

“I’m driving back to base remember? Getting there overcharged charged beyond reason may not be the best idea”

“True.” Axle said, handing the less filled glass to Cliffjumper. “To energon?” he asked as he held his own glass in the air in front of him, wrapping his free arm around Cliffjumper’s waist.

Smiling, Cliffjumper held his own glass high, toasting the sky, “may it always be there to keep us going.” Unlike the previous time, Cliffjumper took a slow and small sip of the energon. But just that was enough to stall his tank for a moment. “Holy frag!” He cursed as the energon slipped down his throat. 

Taking his own sip, Axle shuddered as the liquid scorched its way down into his tank, “that IS strong isn’t it?”

“Primus, it’s like swallowing a pure energon crystal!” Cliffjumper coughed, feeling the energon hit his tank hard. Despite that, Cliffjumper took another sip, sinking back into Axle’s chassis. “Slag me if it isn’t good though” he added softly, savoring the strong taste. Leaning against the larger bot, he listened to his soft spark beat, taking in the heat of the purple bot, and letting the energon work its way through his systems. “It’s warm…” he murmured, offlining his optics. 

Axle took another sip of his own glass, relishing in the taste and the strength of the Energon flowing through him and the smaller body in his lap. Despite Cliffjumper’s small size, his engine was strong, he could feel it vibrating with the power of the energon. Smiling Axle looked up at the night sky, gazing at the two moons that were just beginning to peek out over the horizon. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so comfortable. 

A sharp clack and hitch pulled his attention back to the minibot. Cliffjumper had dropped his nearly empty glass and slumped his head over his knees, his engine pulsating angrily. “Cliffjumper?!” Galvatron asked worriedly, placing his glass down and gripping the smaller bot by his shoulders. 

Cliffjumper could only groan as he curled into himself, “I think that was too strong for me…” he moaned softly, “I feel sick…”

Standing quickly, Galvatron grabbed Cliffjumper’s arm, stroking his back softly with his free hand. “Try and stand up, don’t try to keep it in if it wants to come back out” He warned guiltily. He should have known the energon was too strong for the minibot! It was strong for him for primus sake! For the mini it probably felt like a ton of molten concrete flowing through his tanks.

Helping Cliffjumper to stand, he led the minibot to a tiny ditch, where he promptly emptied his tank. “Primus” Cliffjumper moaned, “I’m never drinking again…” When Cliffjumper stopped heaving, Axle helped him back to the wall, sitting down and placing Cliffjumper in his lap again, laying down. Softly, he rubbed the mini’s helm, innocently petting his horns. 

“Feeling better?” he asked when Cliffjumper finally stilled and stopped moaning. 

“My head is buzzing” he slurred in response, leaning into the large servo. “I feel heavy…” The minibot fell into a light doze on Axle’s lap, letting Galvatron take him in completely. The minibot was small, but not delicate. He was strong limbed, with more than a few scratches and dents, but asleep on his lap like this he hardly appeared dangerous. Smirking lightly, Galvatron continued to pet him, listening to the minibot’s engine. Slowly it stopped hitching and returned to its normal hum. 

Sighing with relief, the purple bot looked up into the sky only to gasp in shock. The moons were halfway through the sky! They had spent the most of the night out and he hadn’t even noticed! That energon had kept him going even if it knocked Cliffjumper out and while he didn’t mind, it certainly wasn’t in key with keeping a low profile, especially when he knew he had a meeting in the morning. “Cliffjumper!” he said quickly, shaking the mini lightly to wake him up. “Cliffjumper, it’s nearly morning!” 

“Wha-? What’s that?” The mini asked as he lurched awake, only to groan as his vision stared reeling. “Oh Primus why?” he whimpered. 

“Come on, we have to get you back to base” Galvatron hurried as he stood, pulling the mini up to his own feet.

“Yeah, yeah ok-” Cliffjumper said as he tried to stand straight. When he tried to take a step for base though he nearly tumbled to the ground. “Oh my aching processor.” 

Almost frantic, Galvatron reached to pick the mini up, resigned him carrying back to the borders of Autobot territory, but the mini stopped him with a glare. “You pick me up, and I will purge on you” he warned. So instead, the large bot took the small bot’s hand and lead him towards his base. A few times he nearly fell into ditches but Axle kept him safe. Just as they passed a few lines of concrete ditches and walls Cliffjumper motioned to stop. “Beyond here the cameras will catch us. The entrance is close by; I can make it from here…”

Nodding Axle slowly let go of his hand, bending over to give the mini a light kiss on the helm, “Go to bed.”

Blushing, Cliffjumper rolled his optics but nodded, “Yes, creator.” 

Axle gave his aft a light spank for that, sending the mini into a blushing fit as he headed for the doors to the base. The purple bot watched him until he vanished from sight and stood where he was until he heard the whoosh of doors closing. Looking around, he recognized several cameras, but Cliffjumper was right, he was just out of their line of sight. 

Galvatron had thought that the Autobots had a longer sight range. He could march his troops here and they wouldn’t know about it till they were too close to stop them. Thinking about where he would place cameras, Galvatron found eight of them, the most ever really dedicated to any sector, even the main one. Making note of their locations, Galvatron turned and headed back to his own base. He hadn’t intended to, but somehow he had learned a valuable Autobot security layout. All he could worry about at the moment however was if Cliffjumper had made it to his room safely or not. 

\---

Cliffjumer HAD made it back to his room, though it took him a few extra hallways and tries on the door’s keypad. He could really only thank primus for an afternoon shift tomorrow and for Axle getting him back here.

Stepping silently into his room, he found Gears still asleep in his bunk, but Huffer was yawning as he checked his schedule for the day. Noticing Cliff at the door, he asked in shock, “Are you just getting in?”

“Yeah, basically” Cliffjumper replied, helm still aching. 

“Primus, where have you been, you look like slag” the other mini replied.

“Went drinking with a friend of mine” Cliffjumper responded as he crawled into bed, “Good night”

With a roll of his optics, Huffer simply headed out the door for his early morning shift, “I think you mean good morning!”

When the door shut, Cliffjumper quickly texted Axle a message, before falling asleep :Good Night Axle :

End chapter 18


	19. Memories and Hopes

“Want to know what I miss most from before the war?” Cliffjumper asked as he stared out into the desolate and destroyed city. 

“What?” Galvatron asked from where he sat behind him, trying to complete an abandoned puzzle they found in the building. Several pieces were missing, but he was pretty sure it was an energon tree. 

“Parks.” Cliffjumper said resolutely. 

“Parks?” Galvatron questioned, looking up at the mini. Certainly not his first guess. He would have figured something like a bar or a dance club. 

“Yup. Parks. My life before the war was far from glamorous, basically working class, but even my town had a park, and almost every day the families would take their sparklings there….My parents used to take me and my siblings too…and even after we stopped going together, I would go through it to get to work and back. There were always sparklings and younglings playing…” Cliffjumper glared out into the landscape, deep in his memories. 

Saddened and surprised, Galvatron moved to hug Cliffjumper from behind. The mini had never told him he had siblings. “It sounds more like you miss sparklings…” he commented.

“yeah… as the war picked up…they just vanished, one by one” Cliffjumper added. Such tiny bots, so full of energy and life, to be snuffed out so early was torturous. Sparkling’s were first built, through a combination of their parent’s codes and then infused with life by the All Spark, if Primus chose to grant the parents their wish for a newspark. 

“If the war hadn’t started, would you have gotten any?”

“…In my town, kids were the highlight of people’s lives. As soon as they could, they traveled to Iacon to ask Primus and the All Spark for a new young spark, but not all of them came back with one. I don’t think Primus would have granted me a sparkling.” 

“I’m sure you would have made a great parent” Galvatron replied honestly. Cliffjumper was temperamental and violent it was true, but he was also loyal, hardworking and caring once you got to know him. “How many siblings did you have?”

Frowning slightly, Cliffjumper remained silent. For a moment, Galvatron wondered if he stepped too far, but Cliffjumper eventually answered, “Two. Ross-9 and Bumper.” Galvatron remained silent, letting Cliffjumper speak at his own pace. “Bumper…Bumper was the oldest one… and the smart one. He joined the Science Academy…but he and his team were shot down during an expedition and when he went out to get energon he was captured, interrogated…and killed…” Cliffjumper swallowed thickly, trembling lightly. 

“But he never gave up the location of the rest of his team. I think he was the best out of all of us.” Cliffjumper could still remember the ceremony, how his teammates had come up to thank his parents for their son’s bravery. 

Even Galvatron had to admire that. To die for one’s team was a noble death. “And your sister?”

Cliffjumper’s expression darkened. “She….We never really got alone. I mean, Bumper was the perfect older son, I was the youngest, and she was always stuck in the middle. After our parents and Bumper joined the Well and the war started up, she…well…she joined the Decepticons.”

“She what!?” Galvatron exclaimed, looking down at the mini in his lap, but Cliffjumper had hidden his face. To think that one of Cliffjumper’s siblings was in his ranks! Though it wasn’t uncommon for bots from the same family to be so different, considering their sparks came directly from Primus, it still shocked Galvatron. 

“I know, I know!” Cliffjumper moaned, clutching his helm. “She just…Primus, she just bought into them completely. All they had to offer she wanted and she refused to listen to a word of reason after she decided.”

“But…she’s a mini-femme right? Surely they wouldn’t have accepted her?” Galvatron probably would have though. Femmes were easier to integrate as spies and informants. They only had a handful however since most joined the Autobots. 

“Well they did. Last time we spoke, she was heading out to get a new body type and to her orientation. She changed her look, her name…I could pass her on the street today and not recognize her. I just hope she’s ok… ”

“Is there any way you could find her?” Galvatron asked, though really, if a double agent was figured out, they weren’t worth having in the Decepticon army. The final test in espionage training was to fool those closest to you after all. 

“…She used to sing; all the time. She wanted to be famous and travel the universe singing, seeing strange animals and places. But I haven’t heard her or heard of anyone like her. I’m hoping when the war ends…”

Hugging the minibot, Galvatron simply nodded in understanding and despite his curiosity, refrained from asking any more questions about Cliff’s family, returning instead to sparklings. “Still, with parents like yours, you must surely stand a chance for sparklings. 

Chuckling, Cliffjumper leaned back into Axle’s chest, “I guess we’ll never know.”

“Maybe, when the war is over, you can ask the All Spark…”

“…What about you?”

“Me?”

“What do you miss most from before the war? ”

“…I’m afraid I didn’t experience anything enough to miss it.” Galvatron murmured back. “I was a military mech, born and raised, confined to base.” This was mostly true. Though confined to base, Galvatron would often sneak out. It was how he experienced the prejudice against military builds and the subjugation of the lower working class. He still remembered the gladiator pits, the only real way for a low-class mech to make any real credits was to risk life and limb. 

“Why didn’t you join the war effort, if you were already in the army?” Cliffjumper asked, disrupting his memory. 

“The army itself split between the factions. A handful of us, myself included, chose neither.” Technically, he had been leading one of the factions, calling the foot soldiers to his side and wooing the sparks of the tired and oppressed. Many had called him freedom fighter, others a tyrant. What did they expect when the masses were betrayed by their so called counsel? 

The two bots fell into silence, trapped in their own memories. Suddenly, Cliffjumper shouted and shook his head violently, “Ugh! Now I’m depressed! Ok, new topic! What do you want to do when the war’s over?”

Smiling, Galvatron answered, “I want to visit a new park and see it full of sparklings. You?”

Cliffjumper remained silent for a moment before nodding, “I like your idea, let’s go with that. A park full of sparklings.”

Looking back to the destroyed city, Cliffjumper tried to image a bright patch of grass and crystal trees, with a play set and tons of sparkling playing, just as he and his siblings once did. It was a pretty promising sight.

End chapter 19


	20. Loving Favors

Galvatron looked like a walking train wreck. His paint was scratched, he had several dents and until a few clicks ago, there’d been more energon on him then there as in him. 

The Autobots actually had the dumb luck to bomb one of his underground command units during their last battle. Usually, unless he was desperate to unleash some pain on the Autobots, he would remain underground with his generals and advisers, directing the battles with camera relays and second hand information. This time, a missile had struck the unit dead on and collapsed the entire thing on top of him and his team. Two were dead and all but two of the rest were confined to quarters or the medbay. He, being one of the two largest bots, had managed to escape with multiple dents ,a few torn lines—oh!—and no servos. He was sporting two new hands. Two new un-calibrated, oversensitive, out-of-the-box-grey hands that ached whenever he gripped something too tightly. 

But he still pulled himself up and went to their meeting place. 

In the back of his mind, he hoped Cliffjumper would give him another massage, but some pity cuddling would work just fine. Flinching as he instinctively grabbed a wall a bit too hard as he came to the building, he saw Cliffjumper doodling with a stick in the dirt. 

“Cliffy I’m hooooome” He called out, jolting the mini from his distraction. Galvatron loved sneaking up on Cliffjumper, just to prove he could. 

“Hey Ax-What happened to you!?” Cliffjumper exclaimed when he spotted him, dropping his stick. “Did you get caught in the battle?”

Grimacing, Galvatron went over his alibi in his head one more time. “We were heading away from that battle and I fell into an old sewer tunnel…and then the rest of the sidewalk crumbled and fell on top of me.” At Cliffjumper’s shocked look, he added, “It’s really not that bad…”

“You should be resting.” 

“But I wanted to see you” Galvatron said piteously, smiling when Cliffjumper’s cheeks turned a bit red.

Rolling his optics, the mini went to pull the larger bot towards their usual spot against the wall. Axle hissed lightly when the mini gripped his servo though. “You have new hands” the mini said in surprise. 

“A particularly heavy chunk landed on them. They’re still sensitive.”

Nodding, the red Autobot simply tugged Axle to their spot by his arm. The minibot had enough limbs replaced to know how much they hurt until they were properly calibrated. That usually took a day with a full rest cycle…but Cliff new another, much faster and definitely more interesting way. When made to lie against the wall, Galvatron figured he wasn’t getting a message and tried to suppress a pout, but when Cliffjumper straddled his hips instead of sitting with his back against his chassis he didn’t know what to make of it. “Cliff?”

Cliffjumper slowly traced a seam on the purple bot’s chassis, “A tactile overload equalizes the body’s sensors, which is why everything is so sensitive after one. Medics usually suggest it when you get a new limb, but I guess with how sensitive your servos are it wouldn’t be that pleasant to do it alone...”

Groaning at the implications, Galvatron tried to squeeze Cliffjumper’s thighs as they lay over his own, but ended up only hissing as the sensors in his hands multiplied the force to a painful extent. “Very true” he managed to say. 

“Relax” Cliffjumper replied with a playful smirk, “I’ll take care of it. Just remember, no touching.”

Galvatron groaned as Cliffjumper continued to tease the seams on his chassis, occasionally sending out light shocks to wake up his systems. The minibot worked diligently, tracing every seam and coaxing his plating to open up for his small servos to dig in deeper. The purple bot’s spark began to race when Cliffjumper small fingers sank between his platting to tweak and pet the wires underneath. A soft charge was flowing through his systems, numbing some of his sensors, but his hands refused to give into his will and shook softly by Cliffjumper’s thighs, lightly gripping the dust. 

Cliffjumper smirked as he sharply twisted a wire, making the larger bot shut his optics and moan lustfully as the charge cut off and started up again abruptly. It seemed to Cliffjumper that Axle obviously wasn’t used to being so passive, if the way his hands were twitching was any hint. Still, Cliff liked taking control every now and then. With his soft direct touches and lights shocks he brought Axle just to the brink, stalling the charge with a well pinched wire just before the large bot could overload. The purple bot groaned at the paused ministrations, desperately wishing he could use his hands. He settled for an internal promise to pay Cliffjumper back for the sensuous torture. 

Sending out another soft charge through his fingers, Cliffjumper kept his optics on the larger bot’s face as he leaned in to lick the main seam of his chassis. Galvatron gasped in shock at the new touch, quickly overriding his body’s order to open his chassis and reveal his spark. Denied, his spark instead filtered the current through his systems, adding to the charge Cliffjumper had already created, making it flow faster and stronger. Shuddering as Cliffjumper tweaked more wires Galvatron was so lost in lust he managed to ignore the pain of his hands as he desperately gripped the minibot’s thighs. “Oh primus you tease!” 

Smiling and deciding to be merciful, Cliffjumper dipped his glossa between the main seam of Axle’s chassis, sending jolts into the wires under his digits.   
Finally pushed over the edge, Axle roared as the energy overloaded his systems. His processor was wiped of any thought but the pleasure and his hands gripped Cliffjumper’s thighs with denting strength. 

The minibot smiled as he watched Axle’s face relax, a small smile spreading across his derma as he sank down to lay flat on the ground. The huge bot seemed weightless in his post-overload glow. Galvatron purred as he let his systems reboot slowly, rubbing Cliffjumper’s thighs softly—and painlessly now that all of his sensors had reset. He felt so relaxed now, with all his systems in link and evened out, as though he was floating, just on the verge of sleep. But just before he gave into the call, he heard Cliffjumper release a soft smothered moan and felt the hum of his engine. Trying to pull himself up a bit, he gripped the minibot with more purpose, ready to give as a good as he got, but Cliffjumper grabbed his large wrists with his small talented servos and simply wrapped them around his waist, humming lightly, “go to sleep.”

“What about you?” Axle asked. 

“Another time” Cliffjumper replied as he settled on Axle’s chassis, laying his head right where his spark chamber was. And with that promise, the two bots feel into a relaxed and sated nap. 

End chapter 20


	21. First Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arceeenergon over on DA made some fanart for the fic! GO SEE! http://arceeenergon. Deviantart.com/gallery/#/ d4ym4z8

Galvatron watched the dust as it slid over the land. He and Cliffjumper had become closer than ever before, meeting nearly every day, sharing their evening rations and filling the nights with cuddling and tactile overloads. It seemed his lap was Cliffjumper’s new favorite seat. They had yet to spark merge, but Cliffjumper didn’t seem to be in a rush and Galvatron surprisingly found himself following the mini’s lead. He wanted to merge with Cliffjumper, but not in the way he wanted when he first started this mission. Back then, he wouldn’t have thought anything of it. It was just another hot spark. Now, he didn’t want to lessen the experience by rushing into it. In a way, he almost wanted to make it special.   
Obviously the good energon was out, but Cliffjumper could do with some old fashioned wooing. 

Checking his chronometer, Galvatron wondered at the time. He usually met Cliff in the late afternoon but it was dark now. Cliff had not been this late before, not without a call at least. 

The Decepticons and Autobots had had a battle that morning. But that almost always meant Cliffjumper would meet with him, to blow off some steam or get steamed up. 

He was suddenly bombarded by images of a hurt Cliffjumper. Could he have been injured? Had they let him fight today…? Cliffjumper hadn’t mentioned anything about being promoted to first strike. His cons would often brag about who they’d managed to kill post battles, but no one had mentioned a red mini-bot. Would anyone even consider him a worthwhile defeat? 

He stood from his perch sharply. It wouldn’t draw much attention if he just asked his men if anyone had shot Cliffjumper…would it? It would at least be better than him wasting time out here, right? Before his boosters even warmed however, Cliffjumper appeared around a stack of rubble. 

He was walking slowly, with a slight limp. Patches of his paint job were grayed, burned and scratched. He had a new horn. His face was downcast and his optics glowed dimly as if he was low on power. Galvatron didn’t waste another moment before jogging out to the mini. 

“Cliffjumper! What happened?” Galvatron asked as he offered the red bot a hand. Cliffjumper stared at the hand for a moment and Galvatron assumed he’d push it out of his way with a sarcastic quip. The Decepticon only grew more concerned when Cliffjumper actually accepted his help and continued toward the shelter. 

“Cons.” was all the minibot said. 

Once inside, Cliffjumper plunked himself down against the wall with a great sigh. 

“You should be resting.” Galvatron scolded softly, kneeling next to the mini, but still pleased that he had come out. He slowly moved to brush a small dent on Cliffjumper’s helm. The mini let him touch. He even leaned into his hand after a moment. He pet Cliffjumper in silence for several minutes before the minibot spoke again. 

“They got the guy next to me…” he said softly. “…one second we’re shooting them down, the next…he’s in pieces all around me…”

Galvatron’s hand stilled on the mini’s helm, his other hand clenching into a fist. “That could have been you…” he whispered hoarsely, more to himself than the mini, a bit surprised at how cold his spark felt at the thought. 

“…it was his first battle…stupid rookie mistake…”Cliffjumper whispered, more to himself than Galvatron. “…He had just turned old enough to sign up…”

“Cliffjumper-”

“He had so many plans…!” Cliffjumper hiccupped, ignoring Galvatron. “He was going to become an officer and transfer off planet to fight and see the universe….He wanted to visit the Alpha Q Realm and the great cities…. And when the war was over, he was going to bond with his best friend and raise a few kids. Primus, he had so many plans…!” Cliffjumper choked and sank his face into his hands, curling up into himself. “The kid didn’t even get a chance!” he cried, the statement echoing into the empty building. 

Cliffjumper had seen so many lives end…. lives cut off before they should have been. He expected it every day. But nothing hurt him so much as when a child—someone with so much life ahead of them, someone who would actually have accomplished something—was taken before their time…

Galvatron had never seen Cliffjumper like this. The minibot was always so…strong. He wasn’t afraid of battle or death. He mourned his friends and comrades yes, but he had never seen this much emotion from the mini aside from anger or passion. It…hurt to watch. Slowly, the large Decepticon wrapped an arm around Cliffjumper. 

“Cliffjumper…” Galvatron began, but stopped. He didn’t know what to say. ‘this is just a part of war?’ ‘He died making a difference?’ It all seemed so fickle. So fake. He had never been comforted or comforted anyone before. By Primus how he wished he had been now, if only to know what to do. 

“It isn’t fair Axle…”Cliffjumper sobbed. “He was just a kid….”

Galvatron couldn’t think of anything to say, so he went with what he felt. He scooped Cliffjumper up in his arms and wrapped him in a crushing hug on his lap. As Cliffjumper continued to cry, he cooed and rubbed the bot’s helm and back. Despite how…odd…it felt to do this, he was almost pleased to be the one Cliffjumper let go in front of. 

When Cliffjumper was all cried out, he lazily traced invisible shapes on the larger bot’s chassis. 

“…I’m sorry…” Galvatron said softly. “I’m sorry for your friend…” 

“…thanks…”Cliffjumper looked up at the giant bot’s downcast face. His optics were glowing brightly, illuminating his faceplate. It was amazing how well he recognized it now…the high dark cheeks and the crest on his helm and that smile that always had a hint of a smirk. 

Taking a chance, Cliffjumper stretched up and kissed him lightly on his dermas. Warmth spread through him, making him feel lighter, pushing away the dark thoughts of regret and death. 

For a moment, Galvatron was stunned, but he quickly started kissing back, deepening it, servos moving to clutch Cliffjumper’s helm and rub his horns. They had become familiar with each other over the last few mega-cycles, but he could never get enough, he was always ano-cyclening for the spark beneath the plating and it seemed as though he was finally going to get it. 

With the touches, Cliffjumper moaned and moved to straddle Galvatron, small servos digging into the larger bots circuits. He needed this. He needed to feel something besides hate and guilt. Axle was the only one that could make him feel this. The large purple neutral was the only one that made him feel normal and special at the same time, like a friend and a lover. The mini deepened the kiss, arching to reach the taller bot’s faceplate. 

Under him however, Galvatron wondered. After all this time, trying so hard, was this really what he wanted? He wanted Cliffjumper, body and soul. But now it didn’t feel right. He was a lie. The mini before him was a true as one could be. He had laid himself out while Galvatron hid behind a fake name and a fake life. Could he really have Cliffjumper when Cliffjumper didn’t know the truth? Cliffjumper wanted Axle, not Galvatron….and right now, Galvatron couldn’t even be sure if it was really what Cliffjumper wanted, and not just something he saw through the veil of grief. 

He was shocked to realize that he didn’t want that. He wanted a willing Cliffjumper. A Cliffjumper that honestly wanted him for him. 

With a groan, Galvatron broke their kiss, tugging Cliffjumper’s servos away from his chassis, much to the smaller bot’s confusion. “Cliff-” Galvatron murmured reluctantly, “we shouldn’t…” 

“Why not…?”Cliffjumper whispered, leaning up to nibble on the purple bot’s neck. It surprised him that after all this time Axle would turn him down, after all the meetings and innuendos and gropes and their more recent petting and kissing sessions. Was he worried? “There’s nothing wrong with what where doing.”

With another great amount of restraint, Galvatron added softly almost to himself, “It’s getting late…”

“I don’t care…” Cliffjumper replied, getting desperate “…I want you…please?” Cliffjumper needed this. At his darkest micro-cycle…this was the bot he turned too. “please…”

At the word, Galvatron swallowed his concerns and gave into the sheer need he felt towards the bot. He may not have all of Cliffjumper right now, but surely there would be other opportunities. More time. That was what he needed. More time together, more time to solidify the bond he knew existed between them. When it was firm—strong enough…maybe then he would challenge it with the truth. But for now…he needed something. Even if it was just a small taste, he needed that small light…And maybe…maybe seeing his spark would make Cliffjumper love him enough to ignore the brand he symbolized…

Galvatron traced now familiar seams and tweaked those special cables. The two bot’s moans echoed through the building as electricity started flittering in the air around them. Heavy pets and pinched wires and hard grinding made them whimper into the night. 

Cliffjumper was the first to release his chest plates, revealing his bright blue spark to the other, larger bot. He shivered as the cool night aired touched his spark chamber, blushing madly as the larger bot grabbed his arms to hold him still. Galvatron stared at it in awe. This was what he had started out for. This was what he had originally wanted and had grown to need. And here it was, opened willingly before him. Galvatron’s own chassis snapped open, his enormous spark pouring out bright light onto the red mini. 

With a deep kiss they merged, emotions and feeling flooding in each other as their charges grew in strength. Cliffjumper could feel the larger bot inside him! He could feel him panting….feel the push of hydraulics and the fast flow of energon. He could feel concern flooding from him, and pleasure, and a little bit of something else. It felt so huge…and warm…what was it!? Was that love? He couldn’t tell, he’d never felt it before. Maybe, but whatever it was felt wonderful though. It warmed him. He sent out a shock to Galvatron, making the larger bot groan and grip him even tighter. 

Galvatron loved how open Cliffjumper was. He could feel everything. It was warm and full. He felt the pressure of his spark on his small lover. He felt happiness over this act, so happy it was almost giddy. He couldn’t get enough. He pulled the minibot onto himself. Molded their bodies together. Sent out shock after shock, always meeting a strong one in reply. 

Cliffjumper gasped at the power behind every surge, gripping Galvatron desperately. Electricity surged through their circuits, burned the energon flowing through them, locking their joints. Both shouted their release as they clung to each other. 

Slowly, their charges subsided, leaving both drained and content. Cliffjumper was out. Galvatron pulled their sparks away from each other, trying to ignore the faint tugs that clung on desperately between them. 

Laying on his side, Galvatron cradled the smaller bot in his arms, watching him sleep. Cliff mumbled “I love you…Axle” softly, and curled closer. The Decepticon frowned. He wanted Cliff to call him by his real name. What would that sound like? The thought sent a slight shiver down his spin. But reason began to invade his fantasy. If Cliffjumper were to find out his real name, that would mean he knew the truth. Out of his romantic high, Galvatron knew the chances of Cliffjumper forgiving him were slim, but he had to hold onto that small hope. Especially now. 

In the back of his processor, Galvatron had clutched the lie that he was still using Cliffjumper. He used it to justify the time he spent on the mini instead of on the Deceptions. He held onto it to restore his pride and honor. What kind of bot would he be if he actually fell for the enemy? The answer was finally coming out. 

He'd had his chance and now he had to face the truth. 

Cliffjumper’s mind and spark had been completely open to him. Everything Cliff knew was his to learn. It was all right there…and he hadn’t taken a single peak.  
All this time he had been denying his feelings, claiming them to be curiosity, lust, espionage. Now he had no choice but to recognize it. Only Cliffjumper had filled his spark with such bright joy. He wasn’t in this for the info, he had stopped being in it for that a long time ago. 

If he was any self-respecting Decepticon he would get up and leave right now.

Instead, he held the minibot against him and murmured back softly, “I…love you…too…”

And he meant it…

End chapter 21


	22. An Invitation

The next morning, Cliffjumper and Galvatron snuggled against a half shattered wall, watching the sunrise. Galvatron reveled in the calm. It was only with Cliffjumper that he let his guard down a bit and took a breather. After their spark merge that feeling had increased ten-fold. 

“You ever think about joining a side Axle?” Cliffjumper mumbled suddenly. 

“Hm?” Galvatron pulled himself away from a tempting nap. He had long ago stared responding to his false name, despite the sting of his lover calling him by it. “I did at the start of the war, but nothing struck me hard enough to make a solid choice. Why?”

“Bet you’d never guess it…and don’t tell anyone or I’ll deny it… but I almost became a Con…” Cliffjumper murmured as lazily as he cuddled a little into the larger bot’s side. 

The larger bot blinked down in surprise at the smaller bot, curious. Slowly, he reached out, softly touching one of Cliffjumper’s horns. “Really? How?”

Cliffjumper purred softly at the touch, too comfortable to move. “It was way back at the start of the war. I was a miner. I’d get sent down into new built mines first to make sure they wouldn’t collapse on the larger bots. So I knew what the cons were preaching and wanted it too…but…”

“…but…?” Galvatron encouraged, still rubbing the horns. This must be that dark secret Cliff avoided speaking about on their earlier meetings, even after his confession about his sister. He had forgotten about it…

“The cons attacked the capital. I wouldn’t have thought much of it if they hadn’t slaughtered every bot in their way. I wanted someone to stand up for the miners and to speak for us in the council, not to overthrow it and set up a…a tyranny!”

“The council was practically one anyway…” Galvatron murmured softly, a bit concerned with himself. Where had he lost sight of the prize? How had he gone from plotting intel theft to petting his new lover? 

“So we should just trade one for the other?” Cliffjumper grumbled looking up into Galvatron’s red optics. “I’m tired of a tyranny. I don’t want some big bot telling me what to do. I want my voice to be heard!”

“You want to be a politician?” Galvatron asked lightly. 

“Ha! No! I’m not patient enough for that, but I want someone to speak for me. Someone who I can talk to about problems and who’s nearby rather than in some posh office in the capital.” Cliffjumper furrowed his brow in concentration for a second, “Mirage had a name for that kind of government, demi- doma – Democracy! That’s it!”

“Mirage told you about this?” Galvatron asked softly, a bit surprised at how suddenly rage had filled him. Cliffjumper had told him of the noble, but he had never seemed to be friends with him before. “I thought you did not get along with him…” 

“It’s gotten a little better since we were stuck in the medbay together. ” It was jealousy! Galvatron was actually jealous!

“Is that why you couldn’t make it last time? What happened?” Galvatron asked. 

“Mirage was sneaking around the battlefield with his generator on. We slammed into each other and fell into a ditch. The medics were not pleased.” Cliffjumper grumbled, a bit embarrassed of how silly the injury was. 

“Considering how often you frequent their office…” Galvatron teased

“Shut it” Cliffjumper replied, laying back down . After a moment though, he asked the question he’d been trying to ask, “You wanna be an Autobot Axle?”

Galvatron sat silently, rubbing Cliff’s horns gently as he stared off into the distance, apparently giving the question some thought. Of course the answer was no, but he wondered how Cliffjumper would take it and if their meetings would continue. That he had failed to dig for any information during their spark merge was concerning enough, but that he didn’t WANT to lose the minibot was downright ridiculous. The thought of going without these meetings…of being stuck on base all the time again…was absolutely terrifying. “Thank you for the offer Cliffjumper…It does mean a lot. But I don’t want to be an Autobot anymore now that I did at the start of the war. I’m sorry-”

“That’s ok y’know” Cliffjumper cut in. He had offered and hoped, but deep down he knew Axle wouldn’t take him up on the suggestion. It didn’t matter that much though, after all here they were: an Autobot and a Neutral and it was working out fine. Why mess with a good thing? “I’m not asking you to change or anything for me; it’s really not that big a deal…I just figured I’d offer…”

Galvatron smiled softly at the sentiment, bending down to give the mini a soft kiss. “Thank you-”

A sharp beep signaled his comlink. Suppressing a growl, Galvatron shut it down, sending the responder a quick single word text message :BUSY:. Deepening the kiss a bit, he murmured “Love you Cliffjumper…”

With a pleased smile, Cliffjumper reached up to stroke Galvatron’s crest, “Love you too…”

End chapter 22


	23. Walking on Clouds

Cliffjumper was glowing when he practically skipped into the rec room. Even Sideswipe’s best short jokes weren’t enough to faze him, much to the red frontliner’s growing aggravation. For the past two deca-cycles Cliffjumper had been walking on clouds, just too high to be brought down.

The mini had had no idea that merging could make him feel like this! He wasn’t a sex-crazy or even needy, but he was addicted to Axle. He had merged with other bots before of course, but no one had made him feel so happy or complete, like all was right with the world even though they were still in the middle of a war. 

Merging with Axle had felt perfect. It wasn’t just the pleasure, though he wouldn’t deny it was amazing. It was the warmth of his spark that Cliffjumper wanted. It was amazing what love could do. Cliffjumper used to roll his optics at lovey-dovey bots, but now he understood how they felt. He pitied his old self, the one who didn’t know what it felt like to be so wanted and cared for. Axle was like a shot of sunshine for him and even after a deca-cyle the kick hadn’t lost any strength. 

Deciding to start his shift early, the mini gulped down his cube and headed for the door, passing Mirage and Hound as they entered, just back from a mission. “Morning Hound, morning Mirage” he greeted with a smile. The two dust covered bots stared at him in shock for a moment, before Hound leaned over to whisper to Mirage. 

“Have the Decepticons been building clones?” he asked. 

Going along with the act, Mirage whispered back, “Not that I know of, but this isn’t a very good one if it is a clone. The real Cliffjumper would nod and grunt at us in passing…”

“…Maybe smirk and slap your shoulder if he’s in a good mood” Hound added. 

“Nice to see you know me so well.” Cliffjumper said with joking flatness. “If I’m ever replaced by a clone I expect you two to get the imposter” he finished with a smirk. 

“Ah, there he is.” Mirage said.

“Yup, that’s the Cliffjumper we know!” Hound said. “What’s got you in such a chipper mood Cliff? Win a bet?”

“Nah, just feeling pretty good today.” Cliffjumper smiled, “I’ll see you guys later!” and with that, the mini headed of for his workstation. Hound and Mirage stared after him. 

“He’s been like that all week” Smokescreen said from his seat at a table by the door. 

“It’s creepy seeing him so happy” Mirage said with a smile. Cliffjumper was a sort-of friend, even though they existed in a state of constant fighting. 

“Like you need to tell me!” Smokscreen added with a shudder, “I’m considering an evaluation already”

“I hope it lasts” Hound replied with a smile of his own. “He’s too grumpy for his own good”

The two other boths nodded in agreement before Mirage continued towards the energon dispenser, “All too true. Come on Hound, we have to report in a few kliks”

“Alright.” 

\---  
Galvatron was smiling…and it was freaking everybot in the room out. The warlord smirked yes, grinned evilly sure, but his silly smile suited a happy child more than the leader of the Decepticons. It was downright unnerving! 

Even Lugnut had shut up! And all of the other generals and advisors had shuttered and avoided optic contact during their presentations. Each would check their chronometers every other nano-klik, counting down the kliks until the meeting ended and they would be free from Galvatron’s odd mood. 

The purple warrior was more than aware of his soldier’s feelings, but it only made him more gleeful. Let the bots be uncomfortable, he was in too good a mood. Cliffjumper and he had been going at it like petro rabbits, eager for that warm fix of spark transferred love. Even now he craved it and he knew he hadn’t felt it in its entirety, though that was really his own fault. He had hidden away many parts of his spark and locked the truth of his identity behind firewalls and blocks. Despite those barriers, feeling the wholeness of Cliffjumper in his spark made his own feel complete and open. Galvatron never held back his feelings for the bot when they merged and never feared Cliffjumper digging for more than what he was given. 

Subconsciously, Galvatron let his faceplate reveal a thoughtful smile making Astrotrain drop his datapad in the middle of a sentence. Deciding enough was enough, Galvatron rose, signaling that the meeting was over. The bots praised Primus and Unicron for the early release as Galvatron exited the room. 

“I cannot tell if he is pleased or angry…” whispered Astrotrain worriedly. 

“It’s times like these that I worry for his sanity” Octane quipped back softly to ensure Lugnut didn’t overhear. 

But the battle-copter did hear, and screamed with rage “TRAITORS! Lord Galvatron is obviously processing a great triumph over the Autobots! His smile is born from the security of VICTORY!”

Rolling their optics, the other bots simply returned to their normal duties. 

Galvatron in the meantime headed out for his fix, knowing Cliffjumper was on his way as well. This love may not be perfect, but it was his and it was more than he ever imagined. Surely only good could come of something so right…. 

End chapter 23


	24. A Wonderful and Horrible Discovery

There wasn’t any warning. No alarm went off. Cliffjumper was simply walking towards the Intel office to report when he was suddenly flying into a newly broken wall, his audios ringing with screams and the explosion. Pain registered for a second over the alarms and errors started beeping across his cracked vision before everything faded to black. 

\---

Cliffjumper woke up in the med bay, with the medics moving around the twenty or so other mechs on medical berths scattered around the room. A few were awake, leaning dozily against their pillows; most were offline, fresh welds littering their scorched frames. Running a quick scan, all Cliff really noticed was that his helm had a bit of a dent and that his left leg was new. Aside from that, energon and power levels were at proficient and the room wasn’t spinning so he assumed his processor was doing fine too. 

As he contemplated getting off the berth and just walking out, Pacemaker started towards him, a soft look on her faceplate. Pace was a junior Medic, working with the military to gain her full certification. She paused by his bedside, hand gripping the railing lightly, a data pad in her other hand. She didn’t say anything though, as if she was waiting for Cliffjumper to speak first. 

Getting irritated with the wait, Cliff decided to break the silence, “So Pace, what’s the bad news?”

A surprised look spread across her faceplate for a second before being replaced by an almost silly grin, “sorry, uh-your leg was blown off and you took some hits to the head but no major damage to you…” her grin got bigger as she leaned down to whisper in Cliffjumper’s audio, “or the sparkling.”

A long moment passed as Cliffjumper tried to process what Pace said. “…sparkling?”

“You didn’t know?” Pacemaker asked a bit surprised, but the smile never wavered. “Congrats Cliffjumper! You’re carrying!” she whispered giddily, almost dancing on her peds. 

“Carrying?”

Pacemaker nodded giddily, “I didn’t even think it was possible anymore, but you did it! A long time ago sparklings were born through spark merging. The newspark would form out of the bonding energies and then go through a gestation period for a few deca-cycles. It would then separate and be placed into a new protoform shell, where it would grow like an All Spark sparkling. From the looks of it, yours has just appeared, maybe just a few cycles ago. ”

Cliffjumper took in the whispered news carefully, but when it finally settled in that he had Axle’s child, his face practically split in a grin. “Thanks Pace! Listen…could you not tell anyone about this? I want to let someone know before you put it in the report ok?”

She smiled knowingly and nodded, shutting down the datapad without filling in the new information, “No problem at all Cliff, just hurry ok. I need to take you off active duty. If you put too much strain on it, the newspark might get reabsorbed into your spark. So be careful.”

After conducting a final full body scan, she let Cliffjumper go. Technically off duty, the minibot headed for his and Axle’s usual meeting place, excited to give the other bot the news. He was too excited to really think about where to go from here and he honestly couldn’t care either. As he turned the corner to head out though, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe intercepted him. 

“So you made it back in one piece huh Hothead?” Sideswipe joked, bending over him like he always did to make him feel short. 

Before Cliffjumper could retort however Sunstreaker interrupted, “he got a new leg, doesn’t exactly count as one piece.” He smirked as Sideswipe scowled and handed over a few creds. They always bet on which bots got injured and how fast they recovered. 

“If you two are finished, I’ve got somewhere to be” Cliffjumper growled, in too good a mood to be more than a little annoyed. He made to duck between the twins on either side of him but was blocked by a pad Sideswipe jabbed in front of his face. 

“Not so fast short stuff! We actually have news!”

At Cliffjumper’s unimpressed look, Sunstreaker grabbed the pad from his twin. “Mirage just got back from a quick scouting mission with the cons and guess who he managed to finally get a picture of!”

“Galvatron!?” Cliffjumper could hardly believe it! He finally had a picture to stick on the target drones at the gun range. This day just kept getting better and better! Jumping for the pad, he just managed to snag it out of Sunny’s grip before he pulled it up. 

Clicking it on, he was greeted by a very familiar sight. Face cold and controlled, almost angry, Axle stared off at a distance, in the middle of shouting an order. His helmet had a few scraps and dents and drips of energon but his crest was in perfect condition. “This…is Galvatron?” Cliffjumper whispered, shocked, spark frozen. 

“Yup” Sideswipe replied. “this slagger’s the one we’ve been spotting on the front lines, yelling at the con grunts.”

“Though he hasn’t been around as often, the coward. Probably hiding in a bunker or something.” Sunny added. 

Cliffjumper bit down his retorts. That has been exactly what Galvatron’s been doing…with him. 

“I gotta go” he shouted, holding onto the pad and running for his room. He had to figure this out. His mind was in shambles. He ignored everyone that hailed him in the hall, punching in the code to his door quickly and locking it behind him.

He collapsed against the cold steel, the data pad the only light in the dark room. Galvatron’s angry mug looked like it was shouting at him. He could practically hear him now, “stupid little minibot, did you think it was real? Poor fool…”

It was like he had been half blind this whole time and now he was looking with both optics. The weird way Galvatron wanted to get to know him. How hard he tried to get under Cliff’s plating. The way he never spoke about his friends. No surprise now considering they were cons! Was anything true? Galvatron lied about his name, his identity, his team…was everything he said and did to him a lie too? 

He said he loved him. By Primus Cliff had said it back! How many times had they spark merged? 

Ice spread through his circuits as he recalled Galvatron’s touch. Had he actually gotten anything? Had he managed to steal information while they made love? He tried to think. Were any files hacked? He hadn’t felt hacked. There hadn’t been any difference in the Decepticon’s tactics had there? He was mostly a grunt scout, he didn’t do tactics. But he sometimes did security. Oh primus, did Galvatron get security intel?!

Nothing made sense. He couldn’t focus. He couldn’t think! Galvatron’s face kept yelling at him. 

He flung the data pad across the room. It shut off as it hit the floor. 

All this time. All their meetings. It had been a long time before Cliff let Axle—GALVATRON!—frag him. Had he held out all that time for information? And now!? Now he was sparked up! …Was it even worth it?

He had to find out. He had to be sure. He had to scream and yell and blame and break Galvatron. He had to do something! 

His chronometer said it was still late afternoon. Galvatron would be there. He was always there…it just never seemed so wrong before. 

End chapter 24


	25. First Time for Everything

Galvatron was there when Cliffjumper stepped into the old building, leaning against the wall with a small smirk on his faceplate. That sexy smile suddenly seemed more conniving and cruel. Cliff almost turned around right there. But he hardened his features and gripped the data pad in one of his fists, stomping forward until he was halfway across the room. This had to be the dumbest thing he had ever done. Confronting the leader of the Decepticons over his lies? He was probably going to end up dead! …But he couldn’t just leave this unfinished. 

“Hey cutie” greeted the taller mech, pushing himself off the wall and striding to wrap his minibot in a strong hug and drown him in a kiss like he usually did, but Cliff stepped backwards as he got closer, moving out of his reach, making Galvatron stop short and stare at the red bot in confusion. 

“Been waiting long…Galvatron?” the smaller mech gritted out, small fists clenching at his sides, one nearly breaking the data pad. 

The utterance of his real name from his lover’s lips wasn’t at all what Galvatron expected it to be like. Instead of filling his spark with warmth it choked it with ice, freezing his systems and making him go statue still, leaving only his optics alive and glowing in shock as he looked onto the minibot’s increasingly angry features. 

This couldn’t really be happening could it? All of his fears, the worries he had forced himself to put off and forget, had come crashing back. He really had been a fool to think Cliffjumper would just be OK with it. His spark twisted inside his chassis. He was going to lose Cliffjumper…. The thought haunted him, made him feel sick. No, no he couldn’t let that happen! 

Never taking his optics off the Decepticon, Cliffjumper clicked the data pad on, holding it to let Galvatron read the bio and see the image. “Finally got a picture for that profile of yours CON!” he snarled. No mercy. Galvatron messed with his spark, Cliffjumper would be damned if he went easy on the liar, no matter how much his spark was crying against it. 

Swallowing thickly, Galvatron shuddered back to life. But as he took a step forward Cliff took two more back and settled into a defensive position, making the larger mech’s spark clench. To see his lover flinch away from him like an opponent on the field made that loneliness he felt before he met Cliff return and fester darker than before. Stilling, he held his hands out in appeasement, “please…let me explain Cliff”

“Oh let me guess!” Cliff barked sarcastically, “let’s play with the little security-bot, no better way to get information then pillow talk after spark sex, huh!?” Cliffjumper’s yells echoed in the hull of the empty building.

“…I- I admit that was it at first b-BUT!” Galvatron pleaded as he grabbed onto Cliffjumper’s arm when he turned to leave, “BUT things changed once I got to know you! I stopped caring about information a long time ago! All those nights weren’t a lie Cliff!” the large purple servo tightened desperately on the smaller arm. His grip was the only thing keeping Cliff from leaving. Galvatron counted the nano-kliks of silence that passed with growing agitation. Cliffjumper didn’t even want to look at him. The Autobot’s entire body was turned away from the newly revealed Decepticon, but he could feel the angry tremors quaking through the minibot’s frame “…I really do love you Cliffjumper….” 

Growling, Cliffjumper tore himself away from Galvatron’s grip and spun to glare at him, optics burning so furiously it was a surprise they didn’t turn red. The one thing he wanted to hear hurt worse than he imagined. He shook the pad at Galvatron angrily, “Then why didn’t you tell me the truth!” he accused, “This pad tells me more about you then you ever did…!”

Galvatron stared at his picture and Cliff through the pad, slowly processing everything, before hanging his head shamefully to stare at his peds, no longer able to look the minibot in the optics. His servos, thick and strong enough to crush an opponent’s limbs, began fidgeting with themselves like they hadn’t done since he was a youngling. To think, he, the mighty leader of the Decepticons, was reduced to a nervous mech by a minibot.

“Where you ever even going to tell me…?” Cliff whispered, breaking the stretching silence, voice cracking. Looking at the mech standing before him, he was surprised. The mech he honestly thought he knew and loved for the past several months didn’t seem to be a complete lie, because here he was, fidgeting in front of him. But who was Galvatron really? Was this just more of the act? Was there even a point to keeping it up now? He was honestly expecting the dictator, the tyrant…the Decepticon. But Axle was still there…his spark hoped more than his processor. His spark desperately wanted to believe the purple bot…. 

Gathering himself Galvatron faced Cliffjumper, “I want to say yes…but I don’t know. I never planned for this Cliff…I never planned to actually fall for you…it was never supposed to go this far…” he trailed off, but didn’t look away, silently begging the minibot to believe him. 

“…What am I supposed to do now Galvatron?” Cliffjumper whimpered as he broke optic contact and shrank into himself, crouching down and hugging his knees to his chassis. Too much was happening all at once and it felt like he was being crushed under the pressure. “What am I supposed to do?” he asked out loud again, but mostly to himself. Should he cut it off there and make due on his own? Should he beat the slag out of him? Maybe…he should overexert himself and make the sparkling reabsorb…? That option sent him trembling. He couldn’t snuff this life out! It didn’t do anything wrong. He was the one that brought it on himself. Should he tell Galvatron the whole truth? He didn’t know what it would accomplish, but the mech at least had the right to know what he had done...didn’t he? 

Galvatron looked on at the shrinking red mass, shoulders slumping lower, unable to provide his small lover with an answer. Silence filled the building, wafting throughout the empty rooms and halls, making everything seem heavy and the air thick. The short space between them felt like an enormous pit, and Galvatron did not know if he could fly across. 

Then a whisper came that seemed to tear down the very building around him. “…I’m carrying” 

Galvatron’s optics brightened till they were nearly white. For a moment he thought his spark stopped. As his world continued to shudder he forced himself to stay standing on limp peds. “…What?” he rasped, his throat suddenly dry. 

Cliffjumper remained curled into a ball as he answered, “There is a sparkling growing inside my body and it’s half your fault afthead.” Cliffjumper bore half the blame as well. He’d opened his spark and trusted a stranger. He’d put everyone he knew in danger…the sting in his spark didn’t feel like a hard enough punishment for that. 

For the second time that evening, Galvatron was torn between joy and despair. The very idea of Cliffjumper carrying his heir…made him feel like flying through the stars…but then it actually hit him. Cliffjumper, an Autobot, was carrying his heir. He, the leader of the Decepticon’s heir! His processor desperately started swarming for solutions, ways to keep both his mate and child. “Come back with me” he suddenly blurted out. 

Cliffjumper suddenly looked up at him, brow draw in confusion, “What?”

“Join the Decepticons” Galvatron pleaded, crouching down on one knee extending his hand for Cliffjumper to take, “come with me”

Cliff stared back at him, optics wide, before they contorted into slits and he uncurled himself, standing taller than the Decepticon for a moment as he growled out, “you really are out of your mind if you think I’ll ever be a Con.”

Spark falling with the announcement, Galvatron’s processor frenzied for another plan, hands curling into tense fists. There had to be a solution, an excuse, a scapegoat—a crime! His mind rushed back to the friend Cliffjumper had been so concerned for months back, the one that had gotten raped by his cons. No one questioned that bot…no one blamed him…he got all the help they could give. His spark stopped cold at his new plan, but the more he ran it over in his head, the more it seemed…perfect. “Lie.” Galvatron said, standing tall again, “Tell them I force-faced you to try and get information. Tell them it was rape. Tell them you couldn’t stop me-” with every word he took a step closer to Cliffjumper, who was slowly moving back into a wall. 

“W-what will that do?” Cliffjumper stuttered as his back touched the wall. Truth be told, this was more along the lines of what he expected Galvatron to be like. The Decepticon pressed his arms out on either side of him, keeping him pinned. Only unlike the any other times he had been trapped by those arms, the mech staring down at him was…frightening. The dim lighting cast shadows over his face, making his optics glow and his face was settling into the detached frown he held in the bio photo. 

“At the very least, it will keep you and our sparkling alive and out of the stockades” he growled darkly, enormous claws gripping the steel wall behind the minibot, making the metal creak from the pressure. 

Flinching at the loud noise, Cliffjumper wrapped his servos around one of Galvatron’s arms, a silent request to stop. This bot scared him. He wanted Axle, the funny perverted slaghead that he was. But Cliff knew Axle wasn’t real…at least not without Galvatron’s anger. Besides, he could see the bot’s reasoning. It would be a lie to say he hadn’t feared that reaction to the sparkling as well. After all, an Autobot sparked by a Decepticon was unheard of. They could call him a traitor. They could kill him and the sparkling both. He didn’t know… but this couldn’t work. Galvatron was mostly a mystery to the Autobots and he suddenly attacks one the day his bio gets a photo? “You may be a jerk and a pervert Galvatron…” Cliffjumper said, optics downcast, “but you’re not a rapist. Everyone knows that.”

As Galvatron stared down as the minibot, taking in the soft disheartened features, his downcast optics, and the way he softly rubbed his arm, his resolution solidified. He could NOT let this bot fall because of him. Slowly, he cupped the minibot’s helmet and leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on the minibot’s derma plating. Keeping his optics open, Galvatron watched Cliff’s optics glow white for a moment in shock before slowly closing, his face plate turning a soft pink as he returned the kiss softly. Galvatron desperately deepened the kiss, hugging the minibot closer, almost crushing the smaller bot’s armor, trying to take as much of Cliff as he could. As he felt Cliff struggle for air, he pulled away with a final peck and took in the sight of a red faced and panting Cliffjumper. 

“Ax—Galvatron?” Cliffjumper asked breathlessly as he was picked up and carried out of the entrance and into the open. That kiss had been Axle’s. Closing his optics it had felt like Axle too. Galvatron, Axle, Axle, Galvatron…was there so much of a difference in a name …or a brand…? Cliffjumper couldn’t think as he searched the taller bot’s face for an explanation. The taller bot still hadn’t put him down. On his refined faceplate, all he could recognize was sadness… and the cold spark of resolve.

“...there is a first time for everything Cliffjumper” Galvatron whispered softly before lifting suddenly into the sky. Cliffjumper’s voice short circuited the instant as the roar of thrusters filled his audios. He was a mini-bot, a ground-pounder, he was NOT meant to fly! For a moment, all of the stories of Decepticon flyers dropping Autobots to their deaths flew through his processor, making him whimper as he shut his optics and braced himself for impact, while trying not to lose his lunch. Noticing the smaller bot’s discomfort, Galvatron tried to fly a bit smoother. 

Luckily the flight was a short one. Galvatron landed on the edges of Cliffjumper’s base, near the spot he had once helped Cliffjumper get home after drinking strong energon. Finding the cameras he tensed, needing to time this perfectly. 

Though he had placed the Autobot softly on his peds, Cliff’s knees wobbled and gave out, making him crash to his knees in relief. Thank primus he was on the ground again!  
As his systems recalibrated themselves, Galvatron suddenly moved, swiftly grabbing the minibot and hurling him over one of the base’s shorter outer walls, officially tossing him into Autobot territory. Cliffjumper rolled with his hard landing, trying to lessen its damage on his frame while he worked to make his processor stop rolling around in his helm.  
Before he had a chance to completely stand up, Galvatron burst through the wall he was just thrown over, emerging swiftly through the sudden concrete dust to grab him and throw him back against a stone wall, cracking it and making his systems go crazy all over again. 

“What are you doing!?” Cliffjumper grunted as he gripped the servo clawing at his throat, cracked vision going red with warning signs. “Stop it!” he gasped out, “You’re going to hurt the sparkling!”

The statement ringed in Galvatron’s audios, stilling his hand from gripping any harder around the minibot’s neck. But then his mask returned. Galvatron, not Axle, took over. Leaning down slowly, Galvatron growled lowly in Cliffjumper’s audios, “Save yourself some pain AUTOBOT and tell me your patrol rounds.”

“You CANNOT be serious!” Cliffjumper shouted as he overrode the damage signals and glared incredulously at the Decepticon. 

“If you will not tell me willingly, I will simply have to …take the information from you” Galvatron replied, other servo sliding over the clasps of Cliff’s chassis, claws tracing the seams. 

Stilling for a moment, Cliffjumper stared back at Galvatron, finally figuring out his plan and recognizing the area around them, as well as the locations of the cameras in the walls now focused on them, “You wouldn’t…” he whispered desperately, praying to Primus for another way. But in the Decepticon’s red optics only stone resolve existed and as the claw dug deeper, Cliff’s spark jump started. “LET ME GO!” he yelled as he twisted away from the claw, kicking his short legs and trying to twist his tiny chassis out of the purple mech’s grip. “This isn’t going to work SLAG IT! PUT ME DOWN! I DON’T WANT THIS!”

“TELL ME WHAT I WANT TO KNOW!” Galvatron shouted, gripping the bot harder and breaking one of the clasps that held him shut. This would be the last time Galvatron would be able to touch Cliffjumper, the last time they would be so close and it couldn’t even be a happy goodbye…

“STOP IT!” Cliff cried out, blunt fingers clawing at the servo, scratching paint. A gasp escaped him as claws dug through his armor, ripping wires and yanking his chassis to shreds. He could feel the energon flowing down his sides while stone chips stabbed into his back. Gripping the claw on his neck, optics shut tight, a weak whimper escaped him, “…please…! Please don’t do this…!”

The arm he gripped stiffened, but the claws continued to rip at his plates, tearing the last clasp away, and bathing both of them in the soft blue glow of his frantically beating spark. The click of Galvatron’s opening chassis flittered through his ringing audios, before everything simply burned.

Fire rushed through his systems. The Decepticon’s spark seemed to be trying to smother his, crush it inside his chassis. Screams erupted from his vocalizer as the spark energy flooded through his circuits. Even then, in the back of his mind, he could hear Galvatron’s whispers through his spark, “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! This has to be done! I’m sorry!”  
Galvatron forced himself to swallow the bile that rose in his throat as Cliffjumper’s pained screamed burst out of his vocalizer. He made himself go deeper, pushing his spark harder into the mini-bot’s, desperate for the warm energy that he had come to know over their time together, but only the cold erratic beating of the smaller bot’s frantic spark existed. Where was the appeal in this, he wondered. Why did people do this to others? He, at least, had a reason. He did this to keep the bot he cared most about and his sparkling safe…If Primus had any spark he would help him. 

An alarm started blaring overhead. Someone must have finally looked at the monitors in this sector. Sending another final hot pulse into the mini, Galvatron watched as Cliff’s eyes blazed with the power, and then dimmed grey as he went limp in his hold. Pulling away slowly, he let the bot fall in a heap of energon, rubble and broken armor. The sound of tires was coming closer. A small team swerved around the corner towards him. Spotting a medic in the group, he took to the skies, dodging the laser fire of the bots as they transformed and covered the medic that went to Cliffjumper’s side. 

“Goodbye, my Cliffjumper…” he said softly as he took off, back to his base and his people…without his minibot…

End chapter 25


	26. What Now?

Waking up screaming was not something Cliffjumper enjoyed. Or at least he decided later when he finally had the chance to calm down. When the drugs had worn off and the sedation program ended, Cliffjumper had shocked the entire medbay into action with a spark-curling scream of fear and pain. His spark felt as though it was trying to rip itself out of his chassis as he thrashed on his berth, pulling away from the medical staff that tried to hold him down so as not to aggravate his still new welds. Eventually, he had to be sedated again and the supplementary medical staff apparently learned to restrain mechs that had gone offline during a traumatic experience, no matter how long they’d been offline, since he woke up again later, still in bonds. 

Still, he couldn’t hold it against them for letting it slip their minds. He’d been out for four cycles and not in critical condition. It was enough to make them feel safe leaving him alone. They had also lost a chunk of their staff. After he had left the base…that day…a request for help on another base had called half of their medics, including Pacemaker, to their sister base, but they had yet to hear back from the group. It seemed she wouldn’t be telling anyone here the bad news about him being sparked up before the rape…yet anyway. 

Fiddling silently with the straps on his wrists, Cliffjumper had to force himself to recognize them as medical bands and not claws. The medics didn’t want to take them off, firmly believing that he would make a run for it at the first chance he got. And Cliffjumper half believed he would, but he had enough on his plate thinking what was going to happen now, to just add escaping from the med bay to it. At least he had a private room to think about how horrible a turn his life had taken in a single short deca-cycle. 

Galvatron’s stupid scheme could have made the situation much worse than it was. If Autobot command knew Galvatron was the father and that he had been willing when he was sparked, he could very well be tried for treason! He didn’t know it was Galvatron at the time but that was hardly an excuse. He shouldn’t have gotten involved with a neutral anyway…He shouldn’t have opened up his spark to a complete stranger like he did. But he wouldn’t make the same mistake again. Cliffjumper was done with love. So what if right now, even after everything, Cliffjumper’s spark still called for the purple bot. It would get what his processor was screaming eventually. It would forget the con. It would accept the betrayal eventually. He wouldn’t suffer like this again so so what if he suffered right now. 

He let his spark delude itself. It didn’t want to accept that Galvatron had used him. It wanted to believe in that part of him that Cliffjumper fell for. It wanted to believe in the part of Galvatron that was Axle. It ignored his new plating and fresh wires and welds saying it wasn’t like what happened to other bots. Those guys were raped out of some twisted power play. Galvatron hadn’t meant it that way. He wanted to protect him. The execution may have left much to be desired, but the intentions were gold. He had felt it…he had felt the emotions flooding through his spark, lingering behind the burning tearing pain. Hurt, regret, “I’m sorry” repeated over and over again. It broke his spark even as his processor tried to ignore it. 

Then there was the sparkling…if he still had it. Cliffjumper had been too afraid to ask the medical staff. With the rape act, they wouldn’t be able to blame Cliffjumper, but they may expect him or even force him to terminate the sparkling and he didn’t even know if he still wanted it or not. Did he want the spawn of the Decepticon leader? Was it Galvatron’s or Axle’s? And if he did have it, what kind of life would it have? Hated for its lineage and alone in the middle of a constant war zone. No matter which way he turned it, Cliffjumper couldn’t figure out a way that didn’t lead to someone’s death…

A soft polite cough broke him away from his dark thoughts. He turned to see Alpha Trion standing by his bedside. He hadn’t even heard him enter the room! Immediately moving to salute, his bound limb stopped about halfway to his helm, making the berth clatter loudly for a second as he nervously mumbled, “ah, um, sorry Sir, I’m afraid I can’t- uh-salute…”

A soft but nervous chuckle escaped his superior as he sat down on a chair by the berth, “It’s alright Cliffjumper.”

The silence between them thickened as neither spoke for several minutes. Cliffjumper felt his Superior had much more to say, but didn’t know how to pull it out, or even if he should, so he simply fiddled with his sheets, avoiding optic contact and trying not to curl further into himself. Looks like he was about to get his answers. 

Finally, Alpha Trion spoke, though the gruffness of his voice showed how difficult it was, “I’m sorry…to make you face this situation while it’s still fresh Cliffjumper…and before you’ve had a proper chance to speak with Smokescreen, but I’m afraid there is an issue that must be resolved…” Alpha Trion hated this part of his job. The one where he had to bear witness to bot’s pain and loss. He selfishly hoped Cliffjumper wasn’t one to cry. 

Cliffjumper remained silent. That little sneering voice in the back of his processor replaced “issue” with “traitorous act.” 

“The…attack on you is the first of its kind from Galvatron…” Alpha Trion forced out, feeling his tank curl in on itself as he remembered the security footage. From the look of it, Cliffjumper had been attacked on his way back to base, inadvertently (but luckily) flung over the walls and raped. He really didn’t want to ask and make the mini remember it any clearer. If the Cliffjumper had been farther away when the Decepticon attacked, they may not have found him in time to save him…or his passenger. Cliffjumper flinched, instantly thinking that they had figured it out and Alpha Trion grimaced guiltily. Taking one of Cliff’s bound hands in his own scratched and worn servos he looked the smaller bot in the optic, “I’m sorry. I know this must be difficult. But it has just become more…complicated...”

Cliffjumper looked at his superior with increased worry and disbelief. How could it get more difficult than it already is? “…how could it get more complicated?” he whispered. He was a traitor! He fragged a con and possibly gave away important information. Primus, they weren’t playing games with him were they? 

“…You are with spark Cliffjumper…” Alpha Trion said slowly, gripping the small servo. Cliffjumper just stared at him. The older bot wasn’t surprised. Very few bots knew that it was even possible to become pregnant through spark merging. Sparklings had come from the Allspark for so long the sparking method had become extinct. Transformers no longer seemed to hold the ability. Until now. “Long ago, sparklings were born through the energy created during spark merging, willing or not. It has been…millennia since such a thing has happened. However…this is no time for a sparkling Cliffjumper…”

Terror unexpectedly filled Cliffjumper’s spark, positive he was going to be forced to terminate the sparkling. At first, when he was assured it was alive he was astounded and unbelievably overjoyed, but it seemed that the higher ups were going to make the hard choice for him. He started shaking softly as he cleared his clogged throat, “…I’m sorry-”

“Please Cliffjumper! Do not even spare a second of processing strength for imaginary guilt! This was in no way your fault!” Alpha Trion gripped the small servo tightly, trying to comfort the smaller bot. He couldn’t let this bot blame himself, they had lost so many that way, but here they would lose two! 

“But…but I-” Cliffjumper stared at his superior incredibly confused. He was talking circles! This was a one of a kind event, but it wasn’t a good time for it? Did they want to terminate it or not? Were they blaming him or not!?

“Several of the other officers and I…” Alpha Trion began, “feel it would be better…to place you in stasis…until a more peaceful time, when you can raise this sparkling without fear or danger, if you choose to do so. I understand why you would refuse, but we desperately hope you will carry and care for this new spark…” There. Alpha Trion had been able to get it out. He was so torn between sympathy for Cliffjumper and joyous hope for this new sparkling he didn’t think he could. To be honest, this was more than an unreasonable request. The bot was just brutally raped and sparked and he was asking him not only to have the child but love and raise it as though he had chosen to spark it himself. He sent a prayer up to Primus for Cliffjumper to have an open spark and enough strength and character to pull through this and raise the sparkling. A child like this was meant to be raised by its parents, or at the very least it’s mother. 

“Stasis?” Cliffjumper had not expected this. He expected an injunction, a trial, a terminative surgery, but stasis? “But-but why?” he couldn’t believe they actually wanted him to have the sparking. To actually raise it in a time of peace! Why!? What possible reason could they have to want to protect this sparkling? 

“Cliffjumper… Nearly every bot in existence, including you and I were produced by the All Spark and our parent’s model design and even now that method is vanishing. We do not know why this happened or how, but you and that sparkling are something special, something we desperately want to protect.” 

“Why would you protect the child of a monster like Galvatron?” Cliffjumper asked. 

Alpha Trion remained silent, wondering how best to explain his feelings. “Because it is innocent Cliffjumper. This sparkling did not come into existence by choice, why should it bear the blame of its father’s actions? It is a life separate from Galvatron and one I feel you could nurture into a fine Cybertronian. ”

Though shocked with the information, Cliffjumper made another protest, “But, that could be vorns ahead of us Alpha Trion! Can anyone even survive stasis that long?”

“While I wish the war would end soon, I feel we have much fighting left to do. You and your sparkling will be safe. Wheeljack and Perceptor have been called upon to build a stasis pod specifically for you, to maintain your systems and alert us to any abnormalities immediately. While in stasis you and the sparkling will be, essentially, frozen.”

“So, the sparkling won’t grow?”

“Not at all. Nor will you. You must continue the gestation period when you reawaken…. I understand that the circumstances of this event are far from anything fair or lovely…but this is a miracle Cliffjumper…the spark of life always is.”

A miracle? Cliffjumper may have thought so earlier, but now? Now it just felt like a hole growing deeper and wider in his spark. He didn’t know what to think or what to believe. He wanted to forget it. He wanted everything to just stop and give him time to think. He wanted to get away. Maybe...if he did this…he would heal faster. He’d wake up when it was all said and done. A new start without any old strings. Just him and the sparkling…a new future. One that didn’t depend on the past. 

He turned to look at Alpha Trion. “All right. I’ll do it.”

End chapter 26


	27. A Visit

After Alpha Trion left, Kup came in. He took a seat by Cliffjumper’s berth and surprisingly enough, shut off his Cy-gar. Cliffjumper had never seen him do that, but at the look of surprise on his face, Kup simply smirked and said, “Cy-gar residue ain’t good for sparklings, even second-hand.”

“…Does everyone know about it?” Cliffjumper asked softly. Would the other’s look at him differently if they did, treat him differently?

“Only that you were attacked by a con. They don’t know it was Galvatron or that you’re sparked up.” Kup said as he reached to undo Cliffjumper’s binds, giving the mini back control of his servo. 

Cliffjumper nodded silently, “…ok…” 

“…Is there anyone you want to tell?” Kup asked as he untied the other strap “Might help get you through this…” he added gruffly. He wasn’t used to offering advice like this. He was the bot that made the tough decisions and lived with the guilt. But he didn’t want to make the hard one in this situation. He’d lived a long time and seen many things, but a spark-merge sparkling wasn’t one of them, and he desperately wanted it to be. 

Cliffjumper’s spark clenched at the question. He had never needed anyone, at least not before Axle. He was the strong bot, the one that helped others, not the one that got help. But Axle had spoiled him. Galvatron had ruined him. Had this happened a few weeks ago, and it had been some other bot that raped him, he would have liked Axle to be there. Now, there wasn’t any point, so he just said “No...No one. ” 

Kup remained silent for a moment, thinking back to when Cliffjumper had neglected his duty to see a bot. “What about that friend of yours?” Kup decided to ask, “The Neutral?”

Clenching his blankets, Cliffjumper bit his lip to keep from screaming that he wasn’t his friend and he was a slagging con that played with his spark and processor, if only to hear it himself. But he didn’t. Swallowing thickly, he dryly answered, “He’s gone.”

Kup, realizing he had stepped on a landmine, simply nodded and gripped Cliffjumper’s tiny hand in his own for a moment. “Wheeljack will be done with the chamber in a mega-cycle. You’ll be in here the whole time getting ready for prolonged stasis... You sure you don’t want anybody else to see you? The minis, the twins?” 

Cliffjumper nodded against the idea, “yeah. I’m sure.” Seeing them might change his mind, especially when he wasn’t going to see them again until the war’s end. He could make do on his own. He had been strong like that, before he had come to rely on and need Axle. It was high time to get back to that old Cliff. “Thanks Kup.”

“No problem kid. No problem at all.” Kup replied as he headed out the door and down the hall towards his room, snapping his cy-gar on with sharp bite, growing anxious for the calming chemicals. Just as the old warrior had been able to recognize a bot in love, he was able to recognize one with a broken spark. He didn’t know what happened, but if he had to guess, Kup would say that Cliff’s lover was dead and that he wasn’t the father of the sparkling. Instead, that honor when to Galvatron. He couldn’t blame him for wanting to be alone and sort through everything, especially with the sparkling thrown into the mix. 

He was honestly shocked that Cliffjumper had agreed to the plan. Kup and the other heads had figured he would take a lot of convincing over time and several meetings, but he eventually got that Cliffjumper just needed to get away. And though Kup rarely agreed with Alpha Trion’s covert power plays, he was actually for this stasis plan. Cliffjumper needed to get away from this. He needed to start over sometime when the hurt was over and where it was safe. Sending him to another base or foreign hospital was risky, and placed the sparkling in more danger as it was. And if the mini did stick around, who knows what he would do. Cliffjumper was not a bot to stand back and just take it. He was one to act on feeling with little consideration for the future. Time would only let his hurt and anger fester. It was better to just…begin again. 

This sparkling was a new beginning too. He just hoped Cliffjumper would recognize it. It was a miracle that had gotten him to agree to just carry the kid, after the birth was the hard part. They all knew it was a 50/50 shot. The mini could accept the kid and love it…or hate its guts. Primus, he hoped the kid was cute, it would really help his odds. 

Kup finally made it to his room, gunmetal grey walls and Spartan furniture. The only additions were a box full of cy-gars on top of a few data-pads. Kup slumped down on his bed, cradling his head in his worn out servos. He wasn’t a bot to pray, but he still folded his hands. “Primus…You gave Cliff one miracle, how about giving the kid another? Help him…help him accept this and move on…help him to love this sparkling….”

Back in his private room in the medical bay, Cliffjumper took a deep breath…and finally broke down. Lubricant slipped from his optics as he clamped his servo over his mouth, smothering the gasps and cries. The mini curled into himself, crying out every ounce of betrayal and hurt and fear. He could get over this. Start over with a clean slate. He just needed to wash away everything that tied him to this time…especially Galvatron. 

Inside him, a little spark of light trembled with its own sadness and fear. 

End chapter 27


	28. Therapy

Cliffjumper‘s servos twitched as the nano-kliks stretched on. It was his first session with Smokescreen and he had yet to say anything but, “Hey Cliffjumper!” when he entered the private medical room. Then he had sat down and stared at him with a data pad and stylus at the ready, but said absolutely nothing. Cliffjumper had never had therapy before. He usually handled stress pretty well…if blowing up stuff counted as good stress relief, but he was pretty sure there was a lot of talking involved. 

Finally fed up with the silence, Cliffjumper threw his hands up and asked very politely for Smokescreen to, “Stop fragging staring at me!” 

Smokescreen smirked, “I was wondering how long it would take for you to snap. You did pretty well, lasted longer than three kliks at least.”

Glaring at the larger Praxan, Cliffjumper growled, “Was there an actual point to that?”

“Yes.” Smokescreen said with another smirk. 

“Care to share with the class?” Cliffjumper grumbled back sarcastically. 

“Nope.”

Exasperated, Cliffjumper just threw his hands up and said, “then go away! I’m better off sleeping!” As he said this, the machine tracing his spark rated started blinking orange at the increased pace. 

“Alright, alright, I was just joking” Smokescreen placated, “I’m sorry, calm down. Take deep even intakes.”

Cliffjumper did as he was asked, glaring all the way, but after a few moments his spark rate slowed to normal and the screen stopped blinking orange, turning back into a solid green. “How did you ever become a therapist?” 

“Gambling.” Smokescreen replied with a light shrug. “you wanna win, you learn to read people”

“And I know you win more often than anybot. So what’s with the game?”

“You can’t read a bot when they don’t even know what cards they hold.” 

“Aren’t therapists just supposed to sit there and ask ‘How does that make you feel?’” Cliffjumper sneered. 

“Alright have it your way” Smokescreen said nonchalantly with a shrug, before leaning forward sharply and asking, “Cliffjumper…how do you feel about Galvatron?” 

Caught off guard, Cliffjumper just stuttered a confused “What?!” but Smokescreen didn’t repeat the question, giving the mini time to sort out his thoughts. “What kind of question is that? He’s a slagging con!”

“Yes, I know what he is.” Smokescreen said with a nod. “But how do you feel about him?”

Confused, Cliffjumper just stared at the larger bot for a few seconds before answering again, slowly, as though Smokescreen was hard of hearing. “He…is…a…slagging…con.”

Chuckling lightly at the tone, Smokescreen tried again. He knew Cliffjumper was thick headed and straight forward. He wasn’t the kind of bot to think too deeply about things. A simple bot pleased by simple things. But he needed to sort himself out and decide what he wanted, not just settle with what he got. “Ok, let me try this again. When you think about Galvatron, what do you feel? Do you feel hurt? Angry? Guilty? Just think about it.”

Shifting his gaze, Cliffjumper stared at his servos. Galvatron was a jerk and a liar for not telling him who he was and playing with his spark and processor under the Axle guise. He was a possessive pervert with the way his mood would turn sour when he mentioned hanging out with another bot and he was always touchy and grabby with his aft and his horns and his hands. He was a cuddler and a joker… and…

That’s when it hit him. 

All of this time, Cliffjumper had been trying to keep Axle separate from Galvatron; but maybe he should just accept that they were one and the same. That somehow the real Galvatron had slipped through the cracks in Axle’s mask…and Cliffjumper had liked it. The Galvatron, because in the end he really was just Galvatron, Cliffjumper had come to know over the past few months was sweet in his own way. He was a lonely bot. He could be charming just as easily as he could be perverted. But he couldn’t just ignore that Galvatron was the leader of the Decepticons either. He had ordered those attacks on the capitol, and he had killed countless bots. He was a warlord just as much as he was a charmer. Cliffjumper was one of the few bots that actually got to see both sides of Galvatron. If he wanted to accept Galvatron, he had to accept him in his entirety. But he didn’t think he could love a bot like that forever…even if he loved him now. He didn’t want to love a bot like that forever. “I feel like I just want to forget I ever met him.” Cliffjumper finally said with a sigh. The sparkling began to flutter sadly, hugging his spark and trying to offer some comfort. Subconsciously, Cliffjumper rubbed his chassis, like he was petting the sparkling. The move didn’t go unnoticed by Smokescreen. 

“And the sparkling? What do you think about it?” He asked, staring at the mini’s hand on his chassis. Suddenly aware of the move, Cliffjumper put his hand down, a bit reluctantly as the sparkling fluttered in disappointment. 

After a few moments of thoughtful silence, during which time the sparkling began to quiver nervously, he finally said, “I don’t know how to feel about it. I mean…it’s Galvatron’s right? I don’t know if I should hate it because of that or…”

“It’s yours too Cliffjumper” Smokscreen said softly. “You may not have asked for it, but half of its code is coming from you, maybe even more since you’re the once carrying it. Listen…” Smokescreen said placing a servo on Cliffjumper’s shoulder, “I know the lines are pretty clear cut between Autobot and Decepticon, but you’ve got to remember…We’re all cybertronians and we all came from Primus. A brand is something we choose” he said, tapping the red brand on his chassis, “not something we’re born with. That sparkling is a clean slate, a blank canvas, how it’s raised will decide what it becomes.”

“I don’t think I can do that Smokscreen” Cliffjumper said with a frown. “You know me! You know I’m not parent material.”

“I do know you” Smokescreen said with a nod. “I know you’re a dedicated and protective hothead. We’ve all seen how you deal with any rookie recruit. The way you take them under your wing the instant they nervously walk through the door. If that’s how you deal with teenage-bots, the age when bots are at their worst, I think that kid should consider itself lucky.”

“But what if I mess up? Or what if I can’t…get over how it was created?”

“You’re not going to be alone in this Cliff. Alpha Trion and the rest of us are all going to be there to help you. You can count on us.” Smokescreen said firmly. Cliffjumper made sure he held still as he took this in, not even rolling his optics. It was nice to know he had friends that would help him, but he didn’t want to depend on anyone too much right now. He wanted to stand up on his own. But he didn’t say any of this as Smokscreen continued, “and in my, professional opinion” he added with a wink, “I don’t think you should try to get over what Galvatron did. I think you should confront it, accept it, and move on. Forget it even if you feel it’s for the sake of the sparkling.” 

Cliffjumper remained silent. 

“I want you to think about the sparkling Cliffjumper. Think about what it may grow into and what it could do to help the world. Think about IT. Not its father, not its circumstances, but about it. This is a life all in its own.” Smokescreen said with a bit of awe. “I know it may be hard to sort through everything that’s happened. But I want you to think long and hard because this is about you too. You need to decide what you want and if you want this sparkling. You need a reason. In the end it’s really your choice.”

As Smokescreen sat quietly, leaving the mini to his thoughts, Cliffjumper shut his eyes and tried to feel for the fluttering. The Praxan was right. He had to accept what happened even if he didn’t like it. Galvatron had lied to him. He had planned to get information from him. He had fallen in love with him. They had slept together and conceived this sparkling. Then Galvatron went crazy and raped him to keep them safe. And here he was about to go into stasis. He couldn’t just put this off. He had to make a choice now and stick with it for better or worse. 

A small bell rang through the air, pulling Cliffjumper back from his thoughts. It seemed their session was over and he had spent most of it in thought. Smokescreen smiled as he switched off his data pad, “keep thinking about it ok Cliff. Let’s hope we can talk some more before you go under.”

“Smokescreen…” Cliffjumper called out before the bot punched in the code to open the door. The Praxan turned to hear him, looking him in the optic as he waited for him to continue. “I want it.” Cliffjumper said with as much finality as he could muster. “I want it. I want something good to come out of this messed up experience and I want it to be the sparkling.” he said nervously “will that work? Is that alright?”

“It’s perfect Cliff” Smokescreen replied with an honest smile. “As good a reason as any I can think of.”

And as he left the room, Cliffjumper decided. He would take care of this sparkling and raise it to be the best cybertronian he could. He would give it his all for both of them. This sparkling would be his. His responsibility and his joy. He would take it all on…and…and he would forget Galvatron. 

End Chapter 28


	29. One Sleepless Night, Two Sleepless Bots

Cliffjumper started listlessly at the beeping lights on his medical monitor. With every spark beat it would blink. But after every beat of his spark, a softer quicker beat would blink on the screen, just for an instant…the sparkling. Nothing but a little light of energy lucky to still be blinking. He could feel it hugging his own spark, like a light tickle, fluttering every now and then. It was small, but he could already feel how strong it was. 

He had been pushing thoughts of Galvatron out of his processor for micro-cycles now. Every time he off-lined his optics he’d get bombarded with a memory. Galvatron tearing open his chassis, Galvatron smiling over a drink, Galvatron rubbing his horns, Galvatron, Galvatron, GALVATRON! Smokscreen had said he should fight the memories, that the only way to get over them was to confront them. But every time they popped up, he was filled with rage, and the blinking lights surged with his anger. He could feel the sparkling start to panic. He forced himself to calm down. Deep intakes, just like Smokescreen told him, remember the sparking. 

But how could he remember the sparkling without remembering the father? His spark clenched at the word. But he had to remember the truth behind it. The small spark was a product of a lie yes, but also of love and only he and Galvatron knew about it. The medic that first told him about the sparkling: Pacemaker, had died during their mission to help another base.

Cliffjumper curled into himself, wrapping the blanket around him like a cocoon. Staring into the dark folds he shut down his optics, trying to ignore the medical equipment in the room and the movement outside his door. He listened for the soft fluttering in his spark. 

One he heard it, he focused on it. He listened to it all night long. What did it matter if he didn’t sleep? 

He was going into stasis tomorrow. 

\---

Galvatron sat at the desk in his room, going over reports, or at least trying too. It was a familiar attempt by now. He hadn’t been able to sleep a whole night since…since he raped Cliffjumper. 

The pain and the betrayal slipped into his dreams and haunted him. The screaming rang in his audios. Even when he was awake he could hear the pleads to stop and feel the desperate grips on his wrists. He was a warrior, with more energon on his servos than any other bot, but he had never felt so horrid and disgusted with himself than that day he left Cliffjumper in a broken pile on the ground. When he first returned to base after that, he had just been able to make it to his room before he purged. He hadn’t been able to focus on anything since then and he had begun digging into his high grade stores far more often than he should. But he didn’t know what else to do. His only friend was as good as dead and likely hated him on top of that. 

He hadn’t seen horn nor ped of Cliffjumper since that day. Obviously he would be in the medical bay, just like that friend of his. Would he have meetings with Smokescreen to look forward to as well? Primus, Galvatron could only pray he hadn’t gone too far and killed the minibot or the sparkling by mistake. He prayed Cliffjumper would recover quickly. That the Autobots would believe the lie and send him off to some distant hospital for the sparkling’s sake. 

They wouldn’t terminate it would they? No, they couldn’t. Were they not Autobots!? Did they not preach life and freedom for all sentient beings? 

The words on the report Galvatron was reading blurred with worry and fatigue. What was the point anyway, he wasn’t taking any of it in. Opening his desk drawer he pulled out a half empty bottle of high-grade. Filling his glass, he held it up to his window. It was a starless night, overcast with the threat of acid rain. “…to energon…” he murmured sadly, “…and to Cliffjumper…”

He took a long gulp, treasuring the way it burned its way into his tank. He’d sleep eventually…once the tears stopped flowing. 

End Chapter 29


	30. Time to Sleep

Wheeljack’s headlights blinked rapidly in excitement as Cliff leaned back into the pod. “Don’t you worry about a thing Cliffjumper. This baby will keep you guys safe and sound” he said, patting the machine lovingly. The pod looked a lot like a coffin, only more fairytale like with the blinking lights and glass cover. Cliffjumper suddenly remembered the time Galvatron called to him like he was Rapunzelbot. The sparkling began to flutter even as his processor smashed the memory out. The sparkling liked Galvatron, or at least whatever slivers of him it could get when Cliffjumper let his thoughts slip. 

Bringing himself back, Cliff nodded nervously as the machine uplinked to his systems. Perceptor smiled comfortingly at him as he checked on the sparkling one last time and made sure everything was functional. “It seems the sparkling as just as excited about this as we are” he chirped. “Now, it will feel as though you are simply sleeping very heavily Cliffjumper. There should be no negative side-effects when you awaken besides some hunger and stiffness, I assure you.”

Cliffjumper nodded at the telescope, trying to keep from fidgeting.

“Don’t you worry about a thing Cliff,” Kup said from his spot against the wall, “we’ll see you when you wake up. Sleep tight till then and keep the kid safe for us.”  
Cliffjumper nodded and smiled softly. The pod lowered to form a perfect horizontal scope, ready to be backed up into a custom storage place in the lab wall, protected and hidden at the center of the base. 

“We’ll see ya in the morning Cliff!” Wheeljack joked as activated the stasis protocols.

“Alright…” Cliff mumbled as he felt his systems droop steadily. 

Alpha Trion bent over him as the stasis pod began to back away. “Rest well, Cliffjumper. Primus permit we meet again when you reawaken…” 

“See you later Alpha Trion” Cliffjumper replied with a weak smirk, one that faded into a worried frown as the pod closed and pulled into the wall, covering him in darkness as the sounds of his systems shut down one at a time. Feeling trapped and worried, he placed his palm on his chassis and felt for that second spark-beat, focusing on the soft rhythm that had become his greatest comfort and hope in the past deca-cycle until his consciousness faded out…

\---

Miles away, on the Decepticon base, Galvatron stared up at the sky. It was dusk and as the sun set, a few strong stars appeared. He spotted a small red star burning bright, but as he watched it glimmer, it began to fade until it vanished completely, replaced by new white stars glimmering in an empty sky. His spark clenched inside his chassis, but he had grown used to the feeling. He had a meeting in a few kliks. 

As he turned to head into the office, he saw Cliffjumper out of the corner of his optic. Turning sharply, he faced the minibot silently, unsure if it was real of not. Cliffjumper stared back at him, optics hollow and empty. His small servos were clutched over his spark chamber. As they stared at each other, Energon began to flow from Cliffjumper’s optics, and he looked down to his chest as he slowly pulled his servos away revealing a dark hole where his spark should be. He stared in horror at the mini, who glared back at him, whispering harshly “This is your fault.”

As Galvatron stared, he began to shudder in his plating, stepping back, vocalizer frozen in his throat. 

“Lord Galvatron?” 

Galvatron jumped sharply. A young Decepticon with a square black faceplate and a single optic was staring at him nervously. Turning back to the minibot, he saw Cliffjumper had vanished. His spark pounded in his spark. His energon stopped flowing. The Decepticon looked around nervously, jumping when Galvatron forced his voice to come out, “What?”

“Uh-The meeting is starting s-sir.” he stuttered. 

With a nod, Galvatron started toward the meeting room, the young Decepticon leading the way. He spared a single glance back and saw Cliffjumper staring at his back, the hole in his chassis still there. Galvatron felt his tank churn, but made sure he didn’t show it. He had to be strong. Strong for his men. For his army. For himself. Even if Cliffjumper haunted him forever. He didn’t have to forget, or forgive himself, or even blame himself. He just had to survive it. Cliffjumper would…wouldn’t he? 

End chapter 30


	31. Awake Again

He was dreaming.

Galvatron was there, but he was tiny, smaller than Cliffjumper. He was running around a giant energon covered jungle gym with small versions of Decepticons following him screaming. He stopped when he spotted Cliffjumper and smiled like a child before running to him and pulling him into a hug. He suddenly started growing, crushing Cliffjumper’s pipes and pinning his arms, but Cliffjumper couldn’t even scream. A bright light suddenly burst between them, forcing them away from each other. Galvatron vanished. The little Decepticons fell silent as the spark floated up the jungle gym. When it reached the top it turned into a small bot, still glowing like a spark. When its peds touched the jungle gym the mech-blood that covered it began to melt away. But before it was completely gone, thunder boomed overhead and a giant Alpha Trion loomed over all of them. He reached for the glowing sparkling with a huge servo. Cliffjumper screamed at him, but no sound came out of his vocalizer. He began to run for the jungle gym. He slipped on the remaining energon several times as he climbed up, but he made it just in time to push the glowing bot out of the way. As they fell to the ground, holding onto each other, he heard Alpha Trion call out to him. 

“Cliffjumper….? Cliffjumper, can you hear me?”

Onlining his optics with a gasp, the first thing Cliffjumper saw was Alpha Trion leaning over him, just as he had when he first went into stasis. Except that this Alpha Trion was older, even with an obviously upgraded frame. 

“Alpha Trion?” asked Cliffjumper, his voice raspy from disuse and this throat dry. As Alpha Trion stepped away, Cliff began easing himself up into a sitting position. It was difficult, he arms were incredibly stiff and it hurt as his energon began to actively flow again. He shuttered his optics to readjust to the brighter lights of the lab, taking stock of the new equipment and furniture and Perceptor and Wheeljack. “How long has it been?” he croaked. 

“Approximately 5 million Steller-cycles.” Perceptor said in a new monotone voice. 

“WHAT!?” Cliffjumper cried lurching up, before clutching his head as the room began to spin. 

“Careful!” Wheerjack warned as he hurried over with a cube of glowing blue energon. “It will take some time for your body to readjust to being actively online.”

“5 million? Did you say 5 million!?” Cliffjumper asked Perceptor frantically. The telescope simply nodded, as though it wasn’t an enormous amount of time. 

“The war lasted much longer than anyone anticipated. But we have been at peace for nearly as long.” Alpha Trion cut in. “The council only recently approved your revival Cliffjumper, deciding it was the perfect time for a sparkling to be raised.”

“Speaking of the sparkling” Perceptor interrupted, stepping forward with a scanner. A quick scan and Perceptor nodded in approval. “No change. Perfect. The process should continue as normal, but regular inspections will be conducted to be certain. I will return to my lab for deeper analysis.” He nodded goodbye as he left the lab. 

Cliffjumper nodded goodbye, glad to hear the little spark was alright. He turned to Wheeljack as soon as the door shut to ask, “Ok. What happened to him?”

Wheeljack nodded his head with resigned disbelief as he handed Cliff the energon. “He deleted most of his personality to make more room for science.”

Cliffjumper turned to stare at the closed door, “I didn’t even know that was possible, but if anyone could do I guess it would be him…” He took a sip of the diluted medical grade, immediately realizing how hungry he felt. He began gulping it down almost desperately. 

Wheeljack and Alpha Trion let out soft chuckles, before Wheeljack added, “Probably the only time anyone will drink medical grade with such fervor is when they’re near starving!”  
When Cliffjumper had finished his med grade, he slowly made his way off the berth. Alpha Trion helped hold him steady as he worked to wake up his limbs again. With the older bot’s help he managed to make it to an inspection medical berth across the room without kissing the ground. It seemed a bit sad to Cliffjumper but Wheeljack was pleased that he could move at all. Helping the mini onto the berth, the engineer began scanning and checking each of him limbs. The sparkling was just waking up too it seemed, as it moved softly in his chassis. 

“So what have I missed? Give me the highlights” Cliffjumper said as he held his arm out for inspection, the energon apparently waking him up. 

“It certainly hasn’t turned out like we thought it would.” Wheeljack warned as he worked. “The first war ended when Galvatron vanished, and we were doing alright for a few vorns. But then Megatron rose to power and he started up another war! That one ended when the All Spark was thrown into space. Megatron followed his father’s way and disappeared going after it. Any remaining Decepticons were banished from the planet and peace has been going on since then,” The engineer laughed suddenly before adding, “But I think the greatest change is that Sideswipe is an enforcer now!”

“…ok, I might need more than the highlights.”

Wheeljack let out another jolly chuckle. “Well, a few vorns after you were put into stasis, we managed to push the Decepticons off planet. Galvatron had been going a bit loopy for a while and the Decepticons just retreated one day and didn’t come back for a few centuries. We figured Galvatron died, but the Decepticons didn’t. Megatron is Galvatron’s son. He was made when the Decepticons stole the All Spark from the temple just before he left the planet. We don’t know who his other code donor is. He took over the Decepticons and attacked Cybertron when he came of age, starting off the Second Great war, though few bots are still alive that actually know it’s the second and not the first. Since then, the Decepticons have been pushed back again and haven’t been seen for centuries. We aren’t going to be fooled a second time though. We’ve kept our guard up this time. The Autobot Academy’s been up and running for a while now, producing the best troops our veterans can train-”

“That’s where you’ll be going as well Cliffjumper” Alpha Trion cut in.

“I’m going back to school!?” Cliffjumper asked, a bit shocked. Though when he thought about it, it did make sense. He couldn’t exactly be a warrior with a sparkling on the way. And even after, he couldn’t just go back to fighting. “What would I do? All I’ve ever been was a laborer or a warrior…”

“You did security as well Cliff, remember?” Wheeljack added softly, trying to keep the mini’s spirits up. 

“You will be placed in the Intel program Cliffjumper” Alpha Trion said clearly. “It’s comparable to security, only on a higher scale.”

“Desk job basically” Wheeljack translated, making Alpha Trion roll his optics with slight amusement. 

“Whatever the case, it will at lease fill you in on all you’ve missed Cliffjumper.”

“Yes sir” Cliffjumper relented, thoughts drifting to what Wheeljack had told him. Galvatron had another child. Of course it wasn’t a surprise that he would move on in 5 million ano-cycles. It would have been more concerning if he hadn’t…but to Cliffjumper, it was like all that had happened had just occurred yesterday, like Galvatron really was just stringing him along. Cliffjumper shook his head harshly. He didn’t want to think about it. He had decided for forget him right? That meant no hard feelings, no feelings at all. 

“You’ll be assigned someone to escort and guide you Cliffjumper”

“What?” Cliffjumper asked harshly. “All due respect Alpha Trion, but I don’t need a babysitter”

“I realize that. But it is only a precaution and just for a short time” Alpha Trion said firmly. “Since the All Spark was lost, we have become static as a species. Your sparkling has remained the only spark-merge sparkling throughout this entire time and its survival is more important than ever before. I cannot condone leaving you unprotected while still in such a delicate state.”

Unhappy with being considered ‘delicate’ but unwilling to argue over it, Cliffjumper simply nodded, “fine.”

“Very good. He shall arrive later with all you need to know.” Alpha Trion added. “I shall leave you two to catch up.” With that, he nodded goodbye and headed to a meeting with the other council members, to deliver the news that the reawakening had been successful. 

Cliffjumper and Wheeljack saluted goodbye to the older bot as he headed out the doors. The mini didn’t waste any times before asking questions. “So who else is still around? What’s the government look like?”

Grinning, Wheeljack laid back. “Quite a few bots actually. Most of the gang from the main base is still alive, many of them war heroes of both wars, though most only recognize it for the second war. The Twins of course, some of the minis, Mirage and Hound, Kup too. Even Ultra Magnus is still around, as strong as ever. He also resides over the Guilds Domesticus. Alpha Trion is the head of all of the civilian guilds, representing the non-military portion of the Autobot High Council. Highbrow sits in as the head of Cybertron Intelligence where you’ll be working, Preceptor is head of the Ministry of Science and there are a few other bots as well. They run the entire planet and keep Magnus in check.” 

“Autobot High Counsel?”

“Yup. The Autobots won the planet during the second war and have been leading it ever since. There are several civilians on the counsel, but most have some Autobot experience. May not be what we expected, but it works.”

“I guess…” It certainly wasn’t what Cliffjumper had imagined. But…well he hadn’t seen it in action yet. “What about you? Did you ever manage you make any of your inventions work?”

That question sent Wheeljack on a long and happy rant about everything he had worked on over the ano-cycles. Apparently Electric paint hadn’t been so far-fetched. 

A few minutes later the door slid open, letting a tall blue bot with the largest chin Cliffjumper had ever seen walk in. His faceplate clearly said he wasn’t happy to be there. A datapad in hand, he stopped in front of the two other bots. “Cliffjumper right?” He asked with disdain looking the minibot up and down. 

Cliffjumper nodded with a bit of disbelief, “Yeah, and you are?”

“Sentinel. Your guard.” He said as though it was the worst possible fate. 

Cliffjumper took in the bot with a single look. Smug, impatient, probably a show-off that got the assignment by being a semi-competent aft head, but overall still a rookie. He stepped off the table with a resigned sigh, “Of course you are…alright, let’s go.” He headed for the door, steady on his feet now that the energon had started flowing again. “I’ll catch you later Wheeljack.” He called back with a wave.

“Good luck Cliff!” 

End chapter 31


	32. It'll Do

Cliffjumper followed closely behind Sentinel as they walked out of the lab, making sure he kept up with Sentinel’s quick pace as the bot droned on. It was amazing how much the place had changed. When he had gone under, their fort was basically a solid steel and concrete structure, but now it was entirely metal with bright lights and new technology lining every free spot. It felt like Cliffjumper was still dreaming as he gawked at all the new toys. The sparkling was excited too as it sparked around in his chassis. 

“You’ve been set up with a single apartment in the dorms, top floor in the central building” Sentinel sneered, like Cliffjumper was getting special treatment…though it was technically true. Cliffjumper wondered how it would feel to have room to himself…relatively speaking. He had always had roommates, first with his siblings, then his working buddies and later with the other minis. 

Cliffjumper gasped as they passed a window, stopping to look while Sentinel continued to strut down the hall. Outside the glass and beyond the base walls were blocks of towering buildings. When he had gone under, the only buildings that were more than 20 stories tall were the towers, now he couldn’t spot a short building anywhere outside the base walls. Where rubble and debris had been, there was now an amazing city. Cliffjumper could only stare in awe, feeling the sparkling flutter with its own curiosity and wonder. He managed to break out of his amazement just before Sentinel turned a corner, when he heard chin-face add, “You aren’t allowed to participate in any combat training.”

“What!?” Cliffjumper shouted, making Sentinel pause in his steps. He turned expecting to see the mini right behind him, but was shocked to see him at the other end of the hall by the window. “For how long!? The mini added as he caught up to the blue bot. 

A bit thrown off at the mini’s vehemence, Sentinel checked his datapad before answering, “Indefinitely.” He had figured this bot was a weakling or a rich snob to get the special treatment. His drill sergeant Kup had given him this assignment, saying it would do him some good to meet what he called ‘a real bot.’ He had expected someone older…and bigger. But at least the mini wasn’t a coward too weak to participate in training, even if he technically couldn’t. 

“That means forever! Slaggit, what about the gun range? Can I use that?” Cliffjumper asked, perking up with some hope. He was a jumpy bot by nature and if he was stuck in a room with nothing but books for too long he knew he would go crazy. 

“Uh-” Sentinel scanned through the datapad again, “It doesn’t sa-”

“Yes, you can use the gun range.” said another voice with a slight chuckle. Cliffjumper looked up to see Kup, snapping his cy-gar off as he headed towards them. “Primus only knows what would happen if you didn’t get rid of that nervous energy.”

“Kup!” Cliffjumper said excitedly, saluting politely though not like Sentinel, who saluted stiffly. The sparkling swelled with excitement as well, happy that he was happy and recognizing the voice from before the long nap. 

“Great to see you again Cliffjumper. Sorry I couldn’t be there to when you got up, but I had to take care of some students.”

“You’re a teacher now?” Cliffjumper asked with amusement as he let go of his salute. 

“Drill Sargent mostly, but I do war history every now and then.” Kup said with a shrug. “You’ll get to see me in class, but Primus help you if I catch a glance of a red horn anywhere near the battle simulators.” He said with a threat, leaving the mini to sigh with resignation. That was an order, whether it sounded like one or not. 

“Alright. ”Cliffjumper said with a small smile and a glance at the still saluting Sentinel. So he wouldn’t get to listen to the familiar sound of Kup shouting orders, he’d at least get the satisfaction of seeing fake bullets tear apart fake targets. Even if he lost his weak combat skills, his shot would only get better. “So I’m good for the range?”

Kup nodded, “Just don’t overdo it. Sentinel, keep an optic on him, make sure he doesn’t hurt himself, alright?”

“Yes Kup Minor Sir!” Sentinel stated sharply, remaining at attention until Kup turned to the corner, hiding a small smirk as he turned his Cy-gar back on. 

“Is Kup your drill sergeant?” Cliffjumper asked when Sentinel fell out of his salute and began walking again. 

“Yeah, he also gave me my name.” Sentinel said as he continued down the hall. 

“Your name?” Cliffjumper asked with some confusion. Did bots change the way they got names? Usually bots were given a family name by their parents and then changed their name as their personality came through. Some bots kept their given names, but most changed it. 

“All bots receive their name after showcasing their talents during the Academy enrollment process.” Chin-face explained. It didn’t sound too different from the old way, though he worried about some bot’s choices. “Sargent Kup gave me Sentinel.”

Cliffjumper stayed silent for a moment, making the sparkling twitter curiously. Kup must have seen something special in this bot to give him that name. “Sentinel is the name of an ancient revolutionary. One of the original warrior bots that led cybertronians in their battle for freedom from the Quintessons” Cliffjumper explained, adding with some respect “It’s an honorable name.”

Sentinel looked at him in surprise. “I didn’t know that…” No bot had ever told him that, in fact, few bots ever said anything positive about him. Maybe this mini wasn’t so bad. He wasn’t a coward at least, and he looked at him like he had…potential almost. At least he was respectful…sort of. 

“Few bots do.” Cliffjumper said with a shrug. The only reason he knew was because one of his old mining buddies took ancient history classes at a small university. He used to tell the group stories of the ancient wars while they worked. “So, what else do I need to know?” he asked, still following the bot down the hall. He’d have to get a map or something, this place was much bigger than the older base. 

“uh, right!” Sentinel continued, breaking out of his thoughts, “we’ve been enrolled in a few of the same classes and I’m supposed to walk you to the ones we’re not in together. You’ve got mostly intel and history classes, with a few mandatory general ed. classes.” Sentinel cringed at he looked at the list. Though most were introductory classes, there were still more than the average bot took, even the overachievers like Optimus only took one or two extra classes. He hopped Cliffjumper was smart…or at least hardworking. It was going to be tough keeping up with all these classes, though he didn’t say that out loud. 

But Cliffjumper was already thinking the same thing. He had never spent that much time in a classroom. He had gone to school as a youngling sure, and he had trained for security work in a class but that was really it. Now he had to learn a new life from pads and lectures. It was…daunting. But Cliff would try it. He’d work for that office job or whatever it was. He could do intel, though the irony wasn’t wasted on him. Galvatron had first made friends for him in an attempt to get info out of him, now he was going to be a bot that would have used info like that. He shook his head sharply, knocking the thoughts out. At least if his schedule was full with brainwork, he wouldn’t have any thoughts to spare for former Cons. 

“You’re confined to the academy grounds, but that’s the deal with basically every student” Sentinel added, before Cliff could protest. “You’ve got medical checkups every other day” he added with a bit of confusion, but Cliff didn’t say anything about it, so he let it drop, “for now I’ll take you on a tour of the grounds.”

“Alright…” Cliffjumper said as they walked out the main doors and into the main lot, where a few bots went on their merry way, “let’s get this ball rolling.” The sparkling fluttered. It looked like Cliff wasn’t the only one impatient to get started in this new life. 

End chapter 32


	33. New Ways

The tour had been pretty boring. So much that it felt like even the sparkling had fallen asleep during it. Classes were apparently out for a holiday so the entire place was empty besides some left over professors and students. 

Sentinel had originally stuck around because Kup had assigned him to orientate Cliffjumper. He supposed it wasn’t any big loss. Optimus and Elita had gone to watch a boring history vid in town about a supposedly unsinkable ship that sank a vorn ago. They said it was a “landmark anniversary.” Sentinel said it was a waste of creds. At least this assignment would get him brownie points with Kup. And maybe even Cliffjumper could help him through the ranks…though he doubted that. The bot may have had some high ties to get him a high rise apartment and an accelerated course, but there was no guarantee he’d use it for Sentinel’s gain. 

Cliffjumper, unaware to Sentinel’s thoughts, was amazed at how much things had changed over the ano-cycles. The entire Academy was basically an enlargement of his old base, with a heck of a lot of added buildings, some land for training and more tech. It was much bigger than his old one. He was positive it reached beyond his and Galvatron’s old meeting spot in the no-bot’s land, but he didn’t think too hard about it. 

The dorms were where built around where the old barracks used to be. The five buildings were several stories tall like the old towers, but appropriately militaristic in design and decoration. That meant they were plain as bricks, but he could see how students had made them their own. He saw lights hanging from a few balconies, wind chimes and crystal plants on others. He was sure that inside would be just as unique, with different rugs or sheets or plates. 

His own room was on the top floor of the main building but was plain and unlived in. It was larger than his old bunk and instead of fitting three, it was just for him and the sparkling. There was a small kitchen and a bathroom and even a pretty large balcony. He looked over to Sentinel as the bot opened every door he could find, like a curious techno monkey. “This is more like an apartment then a dorm” he said. 

The large blue bot replied, “This is standard for two or three bots usually, though they’d be older bots with more time in the Academy and a minor title or two.” The larger bot had walked into the place like he owned it, making himself at home as he opened all the cabinets and drawers, eventually taking a cube from the small refrigerator unit to drink as he flopped down on the small plain sofa. “How’d a Single-Ano like you get it?” he asked, figuring there was no point in beating around the crystal bush and wondering why he had to bunk with Optimus on a lower floor when this mini fresh out of nowhere got a top floor room all to himself. 

“Medical reasons” Cliff replied with a shrug sitting on the armrest on other side of the sofa. Last he heard he wasn’t under any obligations to tell this bot anything. But he would have to talk to Alpha Trion about all this unnecessary special treatment. “…what’s a Single-Ano?” he asked after a moment. He had never heard the term before. 

“Typical Single-Ano question” Sentinel replied with a smirk as he took a gulp of the energon, before cringing at the taste and glaring at the cube. It was medical grade, heavily enriched with nutrients and supplements and disgusting as slag. It seemed the mini wasn’t kidding about his medical condition if this is what they filled his refrigerator with. Now he almost pitied the bot “A Single-Ano is a bot fresh off the assembly line. It’s their first ano-cycle online and their first ano-cycle in the Academy.”

“How could they only be alive for a single ano-cycle and already be in the Academy?” Cliffjumper asked with great confusion. Did they enroll newsparks or something? Early entry program? 

“Are you missing a part of your base code or something?” Sentinel replied. “You are a Single-Ano aren’t you?”

“No, now explain” Cliffjumper replied huffily.

Sentinel simply rolled his optics and put the medical grade energon on the table. “Ever since the All Spark was thrown into space to keep it out of Decepticon hands, bots have been made as fully grown mechs from protoforms and lingering All Spark energy in the molds. Any of this sound familiar?” he asked with annoyance. 

“Molds?” Cliffjumper asked, ignoring him. 

Rolling his optics again, Sentinel continued, “During the war, both sides were seriously low in numbers, so they invented a way to breed fully grown soldiers by placing protoforms in adult molds and infusing them with All Spark energy. The spark energy could mature to match the fill grown shells so that after some classroom lessons they would be like full grown bots. That energy still works even though the All Spark is gone, though it decreases with every molding. But that’s how bots are born. Honestly, what was your life orientation leader doing when you were made?” 

“I wasn’t born like that.” Cliffjumper said with a frown. Bots made on an assembly line? How bad did things get for them to resort to that!? “My parents went to the Temple of Primus where the All Spark was held and begged it for a sparkling, building a body based on their designs. That’s how I and all the bots I know were born…well, I guess accept for you” he added, looking the bot up and down. To think he was never a youngling! He was born for battle, instantly ready to learn through data pads instead of experience. 

“Bots aren’t made that way anymore…how old are you?” Sentinel asked with some awe. If the mini was telling the truth, he had to be around Kup’s age and that bot was ancient. But this bot didn’t look it. He looked like a new mold, though Sentinel supposed he did act much older. He guessed if he went by older age standards, the bot would be in his twenties, probably. 

“I was born a few vorns after Kup.” Cliffjumper answered, “a couple of giga-cycles before the start of the great war…The First One.” he added, remembering what Wheeljack had told him about the Second War. 

“What!?” Sentinel asked in shock. “But you look…you look so….”

“Young?” Cliff replied with some smugness. This bot really was a rookie, but he would try not to rub it in his faceplate…too much.

“You can’t be that old!”

“Well I am. That medical condition I mentioned? The ‘cure’ was to put me in stasis for a couple million stellar cycles, just woke up today. We’ll see if it was enough.” 

“What’s the medical condition?” Sentinel asked hesitantly, scooting away a bit on the sofa. 

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not contagious.” The mini said with a light chuckle. He wasn’t going to take any chances with secrets this time around. He didn’t know scrap about Sentinel, slag if he was going to tell the bot his whole life’s story. For all he knew Sentinel was a horrible gossip. If he wasn’t careful every bot and their sister would know about the sparkling…and its father. 

“…ok. So what are you going to do now?” Sentinel asked, curious and interested in this bot now, at least a bit more than he was a few minutes ago. Hopefully this assignment would get interesting. 

“Apparently I’m going into intel. Don’t know what that means yet, but I’m sure I figure it out eventually.” Cliffjumper replied lightly, making the sparkling flutter with its own innocent amusement. 

“Cybertronian Intelligence monitors everything going on around the planet, the space bridge system, along with some espionage and advisement for the higher ups.” Sentinel explained, sounding very much like a textbook. 

“So…it’s like planet wide monitor duty?” Cliffjumper ventured. 

A bit surprised at the comparison, Sentinel nodded, “yeah actually…”

“…what’s the space bridge system?”

“They didn’t have those back then old timer?” Sentinel asked jokingly. Cliff simply smiled along, letting the joke roll over, he used to say the exact same thing to the older bots on the base. “Space bridges are…portals that cut through space, allowing you to travel light ano-cycles in an instant. Once the All Spark was gone, it was the only advantage the Autobots had over the Decepticons and we used it to win the war. Perceptor was the one who managed to get the idea off the ground and perfected its process.”

“No surprise there, Percy’s always been the ahead of the game in science.” Cliffjumper said lightly. He looked around the room, taking it all in. A lot really had changed. The way bots were born, the way they traveled, the way they grew up. Everything was so different now and it was only the first cycle. How long would it take for him to adjust? Would he be able to forget the old way things used to be? The mini grew more and more concerned as he stared out through the glass doors of the balcony, at the huge base. The sparkling began to grow nervous, twittering around his spark, trying to get his attention. 

Sentinel wasn’t blind to the bot’s darkened mood either. “Don’t worry too much about the changes” he ventured, “you know about as much as any first ano-cycle, though probably more history. You’ll catch up on the rest in class.”

Surprised that the blue bot would try to comfort him, Cliffjumper stared at him, optics wide. It seemed chin-face did have a bit of a spark behind all that fancy armor. Smiling lightly, he simply nodded his thanks, “all right.”

Embarrassed and stumped on what to do next, Sentinel simply pulled himself up, faking a yawn. “Ok, classes begin the day after tomorrow. I’ll see you that morning to take you to your first class. Till then, memorize you schedule, scan your ID and download your text books. There’s a terminal in the berthroom.” Before Sentinel closed the door though, he stuck his head back in, “And doctor’s orders are to rest. See you later!” 

Sighing dramatically at the order, Cliffjumper none the less waved goodbye as he flopped completely onto the couch “Alright!”

As Sentinel left, Cliffjumper’s optics fell onto his barely touched cube. It glowed brightly, like the Kaon Energon Galvatron had once shared with him. As the memory invaded his processor, the sparkling began to twitter with excitement, curious about the large purple bot. Cliffjumper didn’t give him the opportunity to enjoy it for long however, forcing himself to remember that Galvatron was…dead, and what sat before him was medical energon for the sparkling, not Decepticon high grade. 

Galvatron and the lie they had, had long become history, even if it didn’t feel like that to him. There was no Galvatron anymore. Even if his spark rejected the idea, it would accept in eventually. 

He picked up the cube, staring at the liquid. He didn’t feel like eating, but he knew he needed it. He drained the cube rapidly, trying to ignore the bad taste. One more thing to get used too. For now, it was time to pack his processor with info and distract himself from his past. 

End chapter 33


	34. Reunions

The academy was almost exactly like boot camp, only with more class rooms and less drills, well, no drills for him. 

But that was to be expected, Cliff supposed, during a time of apparent peace. As he looked around at the students flooding through the doors, he noticed many of the bots had his exact body frame. Minibots one and all, with large shoulder mounts and peds meant for climbing. They made him look like a youngling! He was a war veteran for primus’ sake!   
It was hard to believe those bots weren’t even a few ano-cycles old. He couldn’t imagine them as younglings when they looked like full grown bots. He supposed he would get used to it, or that it would fall into the back of his processor to the point that it didn’t even pop up anymore. Instead, he focused on other things, like his classes or the sparkling, or Alpha Trion’s refusal to let him off base grounds. Though considering how well that turned out last time, he wasn’t in much of a position to protest. That didn’t stop him from wanting to see how the city had changed though. The glance through the window in the lab was like a messed up tease, taunting him by not letting him see more. But he knew he’d get out and see it eventually, unlike other features in this new life that he just couldn’t change, like his new teachers.

The main issue that irked him was that several of his friends were now his teachers. Following his schedule, he entered a small classroom with pictures of organics covering the walls. Hound, a bit scratched up but still green with stars was wearing a red barrette and setting up for his “Organics 101” class, a required class for all Cybertronians that had even the slightest possible plans for otherworldly travel. Since Cliffjumper was going to be the contact for several traveling espionage bots, he had to have at least a minor knowledge of plants and animals to offer advice and direction, thus, Hound’s class. When the green bot looked up to see Cliffjumper at the door he dropped a pot with some plant in it, but it luckily didn’t break on the floor. The former scout stared at him like he was a ghost. 

“Hi there” Cliff said with a slight smirk. “Professor Hound I presume?”

Seeming to break out of his trance, Hound blinked rapidly and picked up the plant, shaking his head to clear the fog. “er- yes! Welcome to the class—um—”

“A few million stellar cycles and you forget my name? You wound me Hound!” Cliffjumper dramatically touched his spark in a play act of betrayal. Before breaking out laughing at Hound’s shocked face. The sparkling twittered with its own amusement too. 

“Cliffjumper!?”

“Ah! So you do remember—!” 

Cliff was cut off as Hound suddenly raced across the room to wrap him a strong hug. Just like all those stellar cycles ago, Hound was warm and strong, always ready to give any bot some support. He was glad some things never changed. The sparkling fluttered at the contact, like it was getting a hug too. It leaned towards Hound but retained its grip on Cliffjumper’s own spark. 

“I thought you were dead Cliffjumper!” Hound said with disbelief, “You just up and disappeared one day and no one could figure it out!” Hound put him back on the ground but kept his servo on the red mini’s shoulder. “What happened to you?”

“Did you hear about…the attack?” Cliffjumper asked uncertainty. How much did Alpha Trion tell people?   
Hound nodded. “Everyone heard about it. But we never found out which Con did it, or what happened to you after. We thought you died after the attack…” he added, faceplate turning ashen. 

“No, no…I…” Cliffjumper fumbled over his words, unsure whether or not to tell Hound the truth. But the bot was just like he had always been, open, ready to listen…. “Well…I got sparked up …” he said, taking a chance. 

Hound stayed silent as he absorbed what Cliffjumper had just said. “What?” he asked, not comprehending. 

“The con that got me…sparked me up.” Cliffjumper said again. “Don’t tell anyone ok?”

Hound nodded though his optics widened with the news. “What happened? They didn’t…terminate it…did they?” Hound may have been more interested in plants, but he knew enough about organic animal carrying to know it was possible to lose a child as easily as it was to conceive one. He didn’t want to think the Autobots were capable of that, but he had seen a lot over the millennia, a lot of changes and a lot of…exceptions. 

“I was put in stasis” Cliffjumper explained, “I barely woke up a couple cycles ago…” 

“Oh slag!” Hound suddenly jumped away from him, making the sparkling twitter with disappointment, “Did I hurt you!? With that hug? I didn’t mean to! I’m so sorry Cliff I—”

A chuckle stopped Hound from going any further. “I’m fine Hound! A hug won’t break me!” Cliffjumper said with a rather silly grin on his face. “It’s great to see you again!”  
With another kind smile, Hound picked up his plant, “Well get used to it, because you be seeing a lot of me in this class.”

Rolling his optics, Cliffjumper took a seat in the front row. “Yes professor”

Other students started pouring into the room. It seemed their reunion would have to wait. Sentinel entered last, flinching at the organic plants lining the room. He had been avoiding this class ever since he enrolled but even letting Cliffjumper get there alone could only prolong it so long. He took the spot next to Cliffjumper, waving goodbye to a bot and a femme as they headed to their own classes. Those must have been his team mates: Optimus and Elita-1. Sentinel had plenty to say about them, both good and bad, but Cliffjumper didn’t mind. The bot could keep a conversation going without much contribution from him, besides the occasional ‘really?’ or grunt and that left him detached and emotionally secure. He didn’t need to talk, he just needed to listen. If he had done more of that before, maybe things would have turned out differently. 

Well…it was too late for that, but it wasn’t too late to try it out in this new life. 

After the lecture, Hound invited Cliffjumper to join him for lunch. Ignoring Sentinel’s optic roll and whispers of “professor’s pet”, Cliffjumper agreed and since Sentinel was his guard, dragged the blue bot along for the ride. 

They ended up refueling in the mess hall, which was basically the old mess hall with more tables, more dispensers, no high grade and a stupid new automatics dispensing system. The way it worked now was that bots were given an ID card and that was their lifeline for their entire school career. That card would let them into their dorm, give them their ration, tell them their schedule and keep up with every good and bad mark they earned like new ranks or demotions. Cliffjumper’s own card was rigged to give him nothing but medical grade and would remind him of his medical appointments a micro-cycle before it was time to get to them. It was nice at first, but Cliff got tired of it fast. He had a hacking class though, so hopefully he’d be able to make it stop after some lessons. 

Hound sat with them in the “student’s section” of the mess hall, which was basically the whole first floor. The teacher’s section was just a second story balcony area at the back of the room, where they could keep an optic on everybot. Cliffjumper eventually convinced Sentinel that he would be just fine on his own. He wouldn’t hurt himself or get killed in the middle of the Autobot mess hall, so the blue bot could just go and eat with his team at their own table. Conceding with little reluctance, Sentinel eventually left to sit with Optimus and Elita-1, who seemed to be getting along just fine without the large chinned bot. Cliffjumper could tell they liked each other. Sentinel was probably a little aware of it too and maybe even jealous. But Cliffjumper wouldn’t but in with that. Their lives, their drama. He had enough on his plate. 

Hound had more than enough to catch Cliffjumper up on, as he had kept in touch with most of their old friends. Apparently Mirage was still in the espionage business (meaning Cliffjumper would meet up with him eventually) though he raced on the side. The two bots had gotten even closer than before though they hadn’t decided to bond officially yet. Cliffjumper had gotten a real kick out of teasing the green bot into a blushing red about it. He didn’t trust Mirage like he trusted Hound. He couldn’t trust a bot that went invisible at will, it was just the security bot in him. Still, he couldn’t deny that the bot had stuck with Hound all of this time, even if we wasn’t there to see it, the proof was that Hound was happy with the bot and if only for his friend alone, he’d at least try to tolerate him. 

The twins were a real surprise. Sideswipe was an enforcer, working hard to uphold the law, though he must have broken every rule in the book at least once. Even Cliffjumper had to laugh at the irony of that. Sunstreaker had become an artist and custom designer, responsible for almost every artistic creation in Iacon and the other great cities. Powerglide had passed during the Second Great War, fighting cons till the very end. Huffer had become a plumber apparently and worked to keep Cybertron’s old sewage systems going with his newfound brother Pipes. It didn’t sound pleasant to Cliffjumper, but apparently the bot loved his new job, so who was he to judge. 

Then there were the new bots Hound had met during Cliff’s nap. Seaspray was in charge of watching over the aqueduct network. Beachcomber was a geologist he met on an off-planet exploration. Brawn the strongest mini he ever met. Cosmos is the astronomer responsible for their amazing star maps and precision with space bridge travel. Hound promised introductions with everybot he knew. Cliffjumper took in the news and the stories with a heavy spark. He had missed out on so much, but he was going to meet many other bots too, at least if Hound had anything to say about it. It wasn’t the same, but it was better than he expected. Somewhere along the way, he had figured he’d be on his own. But he hadn’t lost all of his friends when he lost Axle. It was comforting knowing he wasn’t alone… and the sparkling was happy to know it too, if that warm feeling in his spark meant anything. 

End chapter 34


	35. Energon

Cliffjumper woke up to the annoying beeping of his alarm clock. Wrapping himself deeper into his blankets he tried to ignore the shrill noise that had become his greatest enemy in the two mega-cycles he has been awake. Finally giving up he forced himself to get out of bed and shut off the alarm. He swore a battle warning was less annoying…then again, so was the graveyard monitor duty shift over a morning class. He’d have to remember to thank whoever came up with his horrible schedule. He had classes every day from morning till night, with a few breaks in between. Every other day, he went in for a medical exam with Perceptor and Wheeljack at their lab, mostly to make sure the sparkling was ok and his systems were performing at their peak. On top of that, any spare moment he had was spent studying and completing assignments. He didn’t know how he was going to handle 8 more mega-cycles of this, and that was only for his first quarter! 

Stumbling into the kitchen, he drowsily grabbed a medical cube out of the small refrigerator unit, unsealing it open with practiced ease. For a moment he yearned for an energizing cube of high grade, or even regular energon, simply because medical grade, even after two mega-cycles of nothing else, still tasted horrible. Taking a quick gulp to avoid the taste, as he did every time he drank the sludge, he stopped short as his tank suddenly roiled in protest. 

Slamming the cube down on the counter, he barely made it to the sink before he purged, the energon burning its way back his throat. Turning on the sink to wash away his small breakfast he sank to the ground, optics closed as he tried to settle his tank. 

Cursing softly, he clutched his stomach and spared the cube on the counter another glance. He instantly regretted it as his tank churned to protest even the thought of another taste. Deciding he’d just skip breakfast that one morning, Cliffjumper grabbed his pads and headed out the door on wobbly peds, taking the elevator instead of the stairs.   
His tank had almost stopped churning when he reached the bottom floor, but his processor was beginning to spin in a very not-fun way. Trying to shake it off, figuring he probably didn’t defrag right from his lack of recharge and that it’d probably sort itself out with a good night’s sleep, he headed off to his morning shorthand note-taking and encoding class. He swore that class was a godsend. Without it, he probably not have any notes at all. 

About halfway through the class though, Cliffjumper was seriously regretting not staying in bed. His processor was aching and he couldn’t concentrate on what the professor was saying. Even the sparkling was restless, fluttering around his spark and sending out little jolts of energy in a little fit of unhappiness, making him feel more on edge. Throwing the sparkling’s fit to hunger, Cliffjumper cooed to it in his processor, promising breakfast as soon as class was over. Placated but unhappy, the sparkling continued to flutter restlessly around his spark, making him just as restless and anxious for class to just be over. As soon as the professor gave the ok, Cliffjumper was out the door and heading for the student convenience store. 

It was a small shop in the middle of the base that offered energon snacks and drinks for the busy student. Bypassing the energon candies and goodies, Cliffjumper headed straight for the regular energon cubes, feeling sick with just the thought of another sip of medical grade. 

The bot at the register was still pulling out of his recharge cycle, but he managed a sleepy smile as he accepted Cliffjumper’s ID to charge the energon to his student account. Almost giddy with the thought of drinking normal energon after so long, he sat down on a bench to enjoy it. Taking a quick safe sip to make sure he wouldn’t purge, he savored the rich, smooth and normal taste. Pure, plain and simply energy! Even the sparkling couldn’t get enough. Cliffjumper drowned that cube in a few short gulps, feeling as though he was starving. The clock rang just as he finished. It was already time for his next class! Tossing the cube in a trash can he headed for the other side of the base for his special operations reporting procedures class, feeling really energized. 

Sadly that feeling didn’t last long. About halfway through his class, his tank began to churn again as though it was empty and his processor began to ache as the sparkling sent more angry shocks at him. Knowing he couldn’t take much more of this, as soon as Cliffjumper made it out the door, he commed Perceptor. The microscope answered after the second ring, his monotone voice going straight to the point as he asked, “Is there a problem Cliffjumper?”

“I can’t refuel” Cliffjumper relied just as tersely. Several meetings with the microscope had taught him that the bot appreciated straight answers, got vaguely annoyed when you beat around the bush, and really didn’t care enough to have his feelings hurt. At least it was easy to accommodate to, especially when he was in a bad mood. 

“Stop by the lab, I believe you have a break at the moment.”

Cliffjumper did have a break. Usually his lunch break, but since he wasn’t refueling properly, he didn’t have anything to lose by going to see Percy. “Alright. I’m on my way.”  
Percy and Wheeljack were ready for him when he arrived; setting up everything they’d been using for his other check-ups. With a resigned sigh, Cliffjumper flopped himself onto the medical berth and let them attach all their wires and take all their scans, though he didn’t know why it was necessary when he could just tell them what was wrong. 

Cliffjumper finally sat up when they finished their test, giving himself credit for waiting that long, especially on an apparently empty tank. Being hungry made the sparkling grumpy, and that made Cliffjumper grumpy too. “Well?”

“There is nothing wrong with your intake systems” Perceptor said with slight confusion. Cliffjumper was getting better at reading his non-existent emotions. “They are working normally.”

“Your energon-work’s all clear too” Wheeljack interjected, scanning his own pad. “And you don’t have any virus or code problems…hmm”

“It’s the energon!” Cliffjumper said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

“…could it have been mixed wrong or something?” Wheeljack asked Perceptor, who simply tilted his head in thought. 

“I can’t take medical grade anymore!” Cliffjumper shouted dramatically. How could the two smartest bots on the planet be so dense! 

“Medical grade energon provides all the nutrients necessary for you and a healthy sparkling.” Perceptor droned as he pulled up a nutrition chart on medical energon over the sparkling’s image. “It would take three times as many servings of regular energon to meet your nutritional needs while carrying.”

“Which was why you still felt hungry after drinking the normal cube” Wheeljack explained, sitting on a chair next to the berth. 

“But the medical tastes like sludge” Cliffjumper moaned clutching at his tank. Just thinking about it made his tank churn. “I thought I could get used to it, but this morning I couldn’t even keep it down.”

“You purged?” 

Cliffjumper nodded, cringing at the memory. “Couldn’t take more than a single swig.”

“You need the nutrients…but cannot handle the taste. Hmm.” Perceptor hummed with a faraway look in his optics. 

“Oh!” Wheeljack exclaimed suddenly, standing from his chair and heading out the door. 

“Where’s he going?” Cliffjumper asked curiously. Did he leave the energon heater on or something? 

“To his lab most likely.” Perceptor replied, the slightest hint of a smile on his faceplates as he continued making his own notes. “He probably has an old invention you just inspired him to finish.”

“Some bots really never change.” Cliffjumper murmured with a smile. 

“It seems you will, however” Perceptor said as he shut down his data pad. 

“What?”

“According to what few records we have of traditional spark carrying, the carrier always experienced multiple side effects, imposed upon them by the sparkling over the gestation period. Purging and cravings are two of the earlier more prominent occurrences. Though they occur particularly early in you…you were carrying for approximately 2 mega-cycles went you went under correct? One in the medical bay and one as we were constructing the stasis pod?”

“I really can’t say Percy, I think so.” Cliffjumper replied, trying to dodge the question. Since he had technically gotten pregnant before the attack and skipping the long stasis nap, the sparkling had to be at least a mega-cycle or two older than Percy’s guess. Cliffjumper could only hope that wouldn’t throw everything into flux. 

Perceptor simply scribbled some more notes into his medical pad. It had been millennia since a sparkling was born. For all he knew the process had changed in terms of speed and development. Perhaps the sparkling developed quickly in the first few mega-cycles and then slowed in the later deca-cycles. Perhaps it was a psychological or physiological reaction to the prolonged stasis. Perhaps the gestation period was no longer 9 deca-cycles but 8 or 7! He would have to do more research, establish a buffer zone of some sort, but that was difficult when he had nothing to work with but ancient data. The only solution he could see would be to ‘play by ear’ as Wheeljack would say. Simply monitor the sparkling closely and prepare in advance. Best not worry Cliffjumper about this however, so instead he said returned to his previous subject, “Other side effects include changes in tastes, habits and temperament.” 

“That seems a bit far-fetched for a spark.” Cliffjumper replied skeptically, but glad to change topics. Sure, he got senses of how the sparkling felt, but feelings and…urges were two totally different things. Fluttering around his spark in curiosity because Cliffjumper was curious was one thing, making Cliff curious was another. 

“Have you been feeling different in any way lately? Perhaps more calm or quiet? More settled or patient?”

Cliffjumper thought about it. He didn’t talk as much, that was true, but that was really by his own decision, not the sparkling’s encouragement or anything…but then again…he had calmed down a lot, at least compared to how he was before. He had actually waited for Percy and Jack to finish their tests! He remembered the old medical crew used to have to threaten to strap him down just to get scans! And in class! He was able to sit and pay attention is his classes with less trouble than he originally thought, he was able to actually sit and read his notes and textbooks. And since he had woken up, he had yet to go to the gun range, the one place he really though was the only place he’d feel calm! The sparkling really was messing with him! “Oh Primus…”

“So you do see.” Perceptor stated with an air of smugness. 

“But…but how?”

“While the processor organizes thoughts and information, the spark is pure feeling Cliffjumper. That unadulterated emotion holds a strong influence on your spark being so close to it. It only to be expected that it would enforce some of its personality traits on you as it grows to develop healthily.”

“I’m back!” Wheeljack suddenly yelled, entering the room before Cliffjumper could reply. The engineer held a tray with a few cubes of energon and a few small paper packets. “I dug these out of storage!” he said, holding up one of the paper packets. “A few ano-cycles ago, I was messing around with energon and flavor additives, to change the taste or nutritional value of energon without going through the whole blending process. Here” he said, poring one of the packets into a cube of regular energon. It turned bright green as the powder blended with the fuel. “Try this. It’s regular energon with less concentrated amounts of nutrients. It’s sort of like medical grade, just with a weaker kick.”

Hesitantly, Cliffjumper took the cube. It looked like acid, which was concerning enough, but with a shrug he took a sip, only to spit it back out immediately. “UGH! Oh Primus! That’s disgusting!” he shouted as he rubbed at his mouth and tongue. It was like rotten oil and organic sludge mixed in a horribly sticky blend. 

“hmmm…maybe the nutrients were too un-concentrated. They mixed wrong with the energon. Try this one!” Wheeljack said, pouring some silver powder into a medical grade energon cube, changing its color from blue to dark purple. “This one should cover up the taste of the medical energon.”

Praying to primus this batch would at least have a better taste then the last, Cliffjumper took a quick sip. Well…it wasn’t bad. It didn’t taste like medical grade…actually it didn’t taste like anything…It had a kind of dry chalky feel though that left his mouth clogged up. He shook the cube, trying to get the powder to disburse more before taking another sip. His mouth only became chalkier. With a harsh shake of his head he handed the cube back, trying to swallow more thickly. It felt like his throat was blocked. He started to panic a bit as his intakes stopped working. He clutched at his throat and waved frantically at the two bots, who looked at his monitors as they began to blink warnings. If he didn’t clear his intakes he’d overheat and his pumps would stall!

“Oh slag!” Wheeljack cursed as he grabbed another cube of regular energon and helped Cliffjumper drink it. Perceptor was looking frantically through his medical pad and the list of materials on the packet Wheeljack used. The energon wasn’t doing much too clear Cliffjumper’s intakes. The minibot was starting to feel dizzy and warm. He could feel the sparkling going frantic around his spark as warnings flashed across his optics. 

Apparently finding what he was looking for, Perceptor put down his pad and ran for his desk, pulling out a small syringe. Running back to the mini, he stabbed it into Cliffjumper’s neck, making the mini flinch and glare at him an instant before he collapsed back on the berth. Whatever that injection was, it was clearing up his intakes. He could feel the paste in his mouth begin to melt away. 

“What happened?” Wheeljack started, trying to comprehend what just happened. “That reaction was—” 

“Cadmium” Perceptor intoned flatly. 

“What?” Wheeljack asked with confusion. 

“Cliffjumper is allergic to Cadmium. One of the ingredients in that sample.” Explained the mircoscope, handing over Cliffjumper’s medical record and the packet for Wheeljack to read. 

“Oh Primus…”Wheeljack whispered in shock as he looked under the ingredients. He had poisoned Cliffjumper! He could have killed the mini! And the sparkling! 

“Jack…” Cliffjumper wheezed as he lay back on the berth, finally regaining his ability to breathe. 

“I’m so sorry Cliffjumper! I should have checked! I didn’t know you had any allergies!”

“Jack, it’s ok. I’m fine.” Cliffjumper said again, pulling himself up and petting his chassis to calm the sparkling down. He hadn’t had a reaction like that since he was a youngling! Cadmium was a pretty rare metal and was hardly ever used in anything. His family had first discovered the allergy when their Uncle, who worked in security and traveled a lot, had brought them some Towers’ candies. Cliffjumper had to be rushed to the hospital! His mother had been frantic the entire time. Thinking about the sparkling in his chassis, he wondered if he would have any dangerous allergies. Primus what if he did and he wasn’t ready for it! He’d have to talk to Percy about it if his medical class didn’t teach him. But still, he hadn’t tasted Cadmium since then, it had completely slipped him mind that it even existed. “Primus, I completely forgot about that allergy… It didn’t hurt the sparkling did it?” he asked, still feeling it shaking in his chamber. 

Perceptor ran a quick scan. “No. It was merely frightened. It should calm down in a few moments.”

Cliffjumper and Wheeljack both let out heavy sighs of relief. “Good.” Cliffjumper whispered before turning back to Jack. The poor engineer’s lights were blinking rapidly. He had really spooked the bot. “One more right?”

“I don’t know Cliffjumper…” Wheeljack said nervously “maybe we should just stick to the regular stuff…” Wheeljack was shocked with himself. How could he had forgotten one of the most basic rules of energon testing, always check for known allergies! If it hadn’t been for Perceptor…Wheeljack shuddered at the thought. Maybe they could think of another way…

“Come on now Wheeljack, it was an accident! No harm done” Cliffjumper tried again. “Don’t leave me to suffer with medical grade energon.” He whined. 

“…All right…” Wheeljack agreed reluctantly, taking the last cube of medical grade energon and, after checking the list of ingredients, pouring the last packet of snowy white powder in, making it turn into a light lavender. “This one should taste really sweet.” He said as he handed the cube to Cliffjumper. 

“I’m not really a fan of sweets Wheeljack…” Cliffjumper explained hesitantly before taking a sip of the lavender liquid. It was sickeningly sweet, like the energon syrup he used to put on his pancakes as a kid only smoother, and Cliffjumper was horrified to find it delicious. He took several gulps before stopping for a breath, licking his lips for any lingering drops and stunned at himself. 

“Apparently the sparkling is!” Wheeljack said with a small laugh. 

“You see Cliffjumper?” Perceptor said. “The sparkling’s tastes and personality will extend themselves through you. Do not worry though. I’m certain once it gains its own body, you shall return to normal.”

“If anything, all this will just give you a sense of what the kid is going to be like” Wheeljack added, just as the clock rang. “Looks like you’re going to be late for class Cliff.”

“Oh slag!” Cliffjumper shouted as he quickly finished off the cube and unplugged himself from the machines. “Thanks you guys! I’ll catch you later! Bye!” he shouted as he ran out the doors. 

“I’ll just pack up some of these packets for him” Wheeljack said with a shake of his head, heading off to his lab to do that…and destroy the rest of his poisonous batch. 

End Chapter 35


	36. Peace

It was the weekend. Usually that meant Cliffjumper could sleep in before his medical meeting with Jack and Percy, but today, the minibot had for no clear reason, just woken up. He sat up in his berth, leaning against his pillows and clutching his blanket as he tried to remember his dream. Galvatron had been in it, but everything had been dark and blurry. The more he thought about it the more it slipped away. It was still early, way earlier than he should have woken up considering the time he went to sleep. Cliffjumper felt…off. Not in a bad way, just…strange in his body. His fingers were tingly and his chassis felt heavy. When he slid to the side of the berth, he felt slow, like he wasn’t fully awake despite not feeling tired. It was like there was an extra weight on his shoulders. Cliffjumper shook his head to clear the fog.

Looking around and noticing it was still early, he figured he’d tidy up a bit and refuel before he went to see the nerd bots. Everything in his dorm was pretty large for him. The berth had been built to fit an average size bot, so to him it was easily a queen sized bed. It took extra time to make it but he couldn’t deny it was comfortable. The shelves around the room were mostly empty, since he didn’t have any nick-knacks or photo frames, but he still organized his textbook pads. His desk had a small standard terminal for uplink to the global data network and the base’s own system. Everybot could access it, but certain sectors and files required specific access codes. On top of that, activity could be monitored from on high, which was probably why so many bots preferred their own computers. Cliffjumper didn’t really use it beyond completing assignments and doing research though. He had managed to catch up on a few popular topics though, like the top rated singers on Cybertron and the racing circuit hot shots. Beyond that though, he didn’t really have the time to look through the internet more thoroughly. 

Moving to his living room, Cliffjumper wiped down his small table and fluffed up the cushions on the sofa. Throwing away some old energon cubes, he sat at the table to eat. He still felt heavy, almost bulky despite the furniture being too large for him. He blended his medical energon with the sweetening powder slowly, watching the liquid turn lavender. As he took short sips his gaze filtered around the room. Single fridge unit…some power packs on the counter…his sink…his mostly empty cabinets…old table…another chair…plastic tile floor…why did everything seem so off? Cliffjumper felt awkward and out of place, not only in the space but in his body. Leaving the cube on the counter he went to the bathroom. 

His reflection hadn’t changed. Red head, two horns, gray markings on his chin and helm, blue optics. He hadn’t gotten any taller or shorter.   
There was a small scale on the corner of the room. He stepped onto it, frowning as the numbers appeared, he had gained some weight, but not much. If anything it was because of all the metal minerals in the energon, adding to his systems. Then there was his chassis. It still felt heavy, like there was a tiny weight tugging his spark down. It didn’t hurt, it just felt different. 

Looking at himself in the mirror again, he turned to the side, trying to feel and change in his chassis. It looked the same and it felt smooth, there weren’t any dents. The pressure wasn’t bad, the sparkling was probably having a mini growth spurt. He just felt weighted and slow in his movements, like he was half asleep or low on energon, worn-out almost.   
Flopping down on the sofa, he stared up at the ceiling, thinking about the sparkling. The last spark scan he got showed that the sparkling had grown a bit bigger. Before, he’d been a tiny little white light fluttering around his spark. Now he was a bit bigger and had a very light blue tinge. He still fluttered freely around his spark, quickly when he was excited or scared and slowly when he was curious or tired. 

In the three mega-cycles Cliffjumper had been online again, he’d learn to read those flutters like he’d learned to identify plants in Hound’s class, with patience and practice. Now he could tell when the sparkling was tired, when he was hungry and when he was happy. Cliffjumper liked the last feeling best because the sparkling felt like it grew a bit with the feeling and it would send out a warm wave across his spark, making him feel happy too. But then there were times when the sparkling felt sad too. Those times…the sparkling would slow down and huddle in a corner of his chamber, making his spark feel cold and lonely. 

Cliffjumper couldn’t believe how strong the sparkling’s feelings were and Perceptor had told him that they would only become stronger. Right now he only had simple feelings, like hunger and happiness, later when he became bigger and stronger, he’d feel more complex feelings like love or anger or protectiveness. 

Cliffjumper sank further into the sofa cushions, offlining his optics and placing his hands over his chassis. He tried to block everything out and listen. He ignored his neighbors in their dorms and the hum of the fridge and the shift of birds outside his window. He felt it before he heard it: the soft quick BA-BUMP of the sparkling beating along with his spark. The sparkling ran a little faster than he did. It felt like he was just waking up, he was fluttering around his spark slowly, reaching out for Cliffjumper’s servos while staying close to his spark. Cliffjumper smiled at the feeling and the sound. 

When he listened to the sparkling like this, he couldn’t think of anything bad or wrong. Everything just seemed to wash away. The sparkling made him feel at peace, almost happy in the calm. As he settled into a light doze, his alarm went off. It was time for him to meet with Percy and Jack. Onlining his opics again, he reluctantly pulled himself up. The calm was nice while it lasted, but he still had things to take care off. 

End Chapter 36


	37. Sweet

The quad was mostly empty. It was late afternoon, just before evening. Most classes were over and students had long returned to their dorm rooms to get out of the damp fog. It had been a cool day and fog had covered the base for most of it, forcing students to use their headlights to avoid running into each other. Cliffjumper was pretty sure many students ended up getting lost between classes though. At least there wasn’t any rain, though the base’s new shield would have kept them all safe from the acidity. 

Cliffjumper sat on a bench near the student convenience store, watching a few bright lights break through the foggy sky. It had been a long day and he was tired, but he didn’t feel like returning to his dorm room just yet. Looking at the sky he was reminded of how he and Galvatron used to star gaze, mapping out whatever stars they knew and making up stories about them. A small smile reached his derma before sinking into a frown. Galvatron was gone slaggit…why couldn’t he just accept it? Why did those memories keep popping up and why did his spark still call out for him. Even the sparkling didn’t want him to let go, always perking up with the memories and growing sad when he pushed them away. Then there was the guilt…guilt for letting Galvatron go along with his crazy plan, guilt for adding to his insanity, guilt for every opening his spark to a stranger. Every time he thought of Galvatron a sharp voice in the back of his processor would yell “traitor!” 

Cliffjumper was a loyal Autobot, he knew he was. He’d die for the cuase and would never betray his friends or comrades. But even if he didn’t mean to, he had put them all at risk. He couldn’t let that go. 

He heard soft footsteps behind him, but figured it was probably another student so he didn’t stop his stop his stargazing. A few moments later, the doors to the convenience store opened and closed and those footsteps came back, stopping right behind him. A small tap on his shoulder made him turn around to face the bot. 

It was Elita-1, Sentinel’s team mate. “Hey there Elita” Cliffjumper greeted. Sentinel had introduced them a few mega-cycles back when Cliffjumper had found a loophole to constantly having Sentinel around…though you could also call it a compromise. Cliff didn’t want a bot attached to his hip and Sentinel didn’t want to be that bot, so he got to go to his classes on his own so long as he checked in when he got there and his off time was his if Sentinel had plans with his team. That first cycle they had split up, Sentinel’s team had joined them at a mess hall table, arguing over the idea. Elita-1 and Optimus had introduced themselves then, much to Sentinel’s chagrin. All three were named by Kup for their personalities and abilities. Elita-1had the ability to temporarily download the upgrades of other bots by touching them, but was named for her attitude. She could be a bit snobby, though she wasn’t afraid to get her servos dirty. Optimus was a great warrior, especially with a battle axe. Kup had named him for his optimism and cheer. Cliffjumper really had to smile at that. Kup still had the skills to read bots like bookpads. 

“Hey Cliffjumper” Elita-1 greeted with a smile, “you alright?”

“Hmm? Yes, I’m fine. Why?” Cliffjumper asked. He hadn’t noticed the frown on his faceplate as he stared at the skies. He hadn’t felt his shoulders slump or his optics fade. But Elita had. She didn’t know the bot very well, but he seemed way too young to be shouldering so much sadness, even subconsciously. 

“What’re you doing here so late?”

“Star-gazing” Cliff replied simply. Elita-1 looked up to the foggy sky, spotting the few bright stars glowing through the mist. She smiled lightly. She’d often gaze at the stars too, imagining the far away worlds and exotic planets. 

“Just imagine all the worlds out there…” she whispered, “so many things to see…” Cliffjumper smiled softly. She was still so young. Interested in the rest of the universe without even having seen most of her own world. “Don’t you want to visit them Cliff?” she asked, turning back to the small bot. 

Humming lightly, he looked back up at the sky. “Maybe a few, later. I haven’t even seen most of this planet yet.”

Elita one let out a small laugh, “good point!” with a soft sigh she added, “I still want to see them all…”

“That’ll take a while, but you certainly have time.” Cliffjumper said, drawing the femme out of her daydreams. “What are you doing out so late Elita?” 

She held up a plastic bag stuffed with energon snacks, simply saying “snack duty.” Then an idea suddenly occurred to her. Digging through the bag she pulled out a small energon-pop. “Here!” she said handing it to him. “A little sugar to brighten up that faceplate of yours” she said with a smirk. Before the bot could protest, she said a quick goodbye and headed for the femme’s dorms. Cliffjumper stared after her vanishing form, holding the pop in his servos. Smiling softly at the gesture, he unwrapped the pop and took a quick lick. The sweet taste exploded on his glossa and the sparkling went wild, starting to fly around his spark. Cliffjumper savored the sweet taste and the sparkling’s joy. He’d have to get some of these for himself later. 

For now, he picked himself up and headed for his own dorms, sucking on the pop all the way. Overhead, the sky cleared, revealing hundreds of other stars, filling the dark night sky with light. 

End Chapter 37


	38. A Lesson in History

One of the classes Cliffjumper had been enrolled in for his first quarter was war history with Kup. It was much as he had expected it to be, but he had been a bit surprised at the subjects. The quarter was a mega-cycle away from being half over but so far they had really only covered important war leaders. Granted, it was mostly to orientate the Single-anos on exactly who their superiors were but Cliffjumper expected much more…well, history. The first few lessons had been about Ultra Magnus and they had just gone down the ladder from there, but aside from facts, they never got much context. At least Cliffjumper understood how the current government came into being now. 

He sat near the back of the room, more at Sentinel’s request rather than his own desire. Kup shut off the lights with a grunt as he entered the room, smirking a bit when he saw Cliff in the back. Taking a deep intake of his Cy-gar, he snapped it off with a bite, as he had done for every class Cliffjumper was in. It had shocked quite a few students at first, but he had expected that. What he didn’t expect was how hard it was for him to last even a micro-cycle without the chemicals, and he just knew it was going to be harder with today’s lesson.

“Alright rust buckets” he yelled, calling the class to order, “Today, we’re learning about the First Great War!” Several groans filled the class. Apparently the topic didn’t have a good reputation, though Cliff was excited to finally learn what he had missed. “Not that war you scrapheads!” Kup shouted again. “I’m talking about the First War! The war wayyyyy back when you weren’t even spark’s in Primus’ optic…well…most of you” he added with a glance at Cliff, though no one could tell in the dark room. “The first Great War was between the Decepticons and Autobots like the Second War, but the Cons were led by Galvatron, not Megatron” He clicked the projector on, showing a picture of Galvatron on the screen. It was apparently one after Cliffjumper had gone under. The bot had more armor so he looked bigger but the crest was the same, as was his paintjob. But in this picture he proudly wore the Decepticon symbol on his chassis and from the look of it…it was branded on, not painted like the Autobot’s own brands and the Decepticons he had known. He wondered if the other Decepticons had been required to brand their symbols after Galvatron had done it. 

Cliffjumper forced himself to look at it, to accept it as a part of history and not let it affect him personally, even as he felt his spark throb and call out. Some part of him still missed Galvatron. It was the same part that forgave him…and loved him. He felt the sparkling perk up in interest, but he whispered in his spark, it’s no one that matters. Forget him. The sparkling seemed to hear him, growing a bit sad, but it continued to listen to Kup as he lectured.

“Galvatron was a military build, at the time harshly oppressed by the government. In response to the prejudice and tyranny, he formed a group called the Decepticons to overthrow it. It worked at first, but his freedom fight evolved into a bloody campaign with himself at the head.” Kup continued. “As he tried to take power over the planet with his mostly military built and low laborer followers, the civilians at the time rose up against him. Lead by a few select leaders with military experience, the regular vehicle bots became the Autobots. The two teams fought for control of the planet as the governing force. Ultra Magnus was our leader then as he is now, well, a much younger leader. Despite several attempts to negotiate, the two groups were just unable to agree and the war went on for several centuries.

“Now, as the war went on, the winning card wasn’t energon or numbers or control over land, but sanity. We won the war because Galvatron began going screwy. Remember, he and his cons were born and raised military. The Autbots weren’t the military force we are now and our numbers were really the only thing giving us a chance. If Galvatron hadn’t gone nuts and bolts, this could very well be a planet of Decepticons.” Kup added grimly, clenching the end of his turned off cy-gar. 

A student up front raised he servo hesitantly, asking “how did he go crazy?”

Cliffjumper thanked primus the kid had asked, he was just as curious. 

Kup sent the mini a quick glance before answering, “No one really knows what caused him to crack specifically, though we’ve all got ideas. What I can tell you is that everyone could see it coming. As a fellow warrior, I can certainly pity him for his long and painful decline.” Kup said softly, shaking a bit as he harshly bit his cy-gar, but not to turn it on. “Who knows about Decepticon branding? Anybot?”

A small femme in the second row raised her servo, “Unlike Autobots, Decepticons physically branded their followers with the Decepticon symbol. The idea was ‘once a con always a con,’ or ‘a con for life.’”

Kup nooded, “exactly! Well it was Galvatron that came up with that idea in a fit of insanity. He branded himself during a battle and the other cons ate it up, made it their initiation ritual thereafter” Kup rubbed his optics tiredly for a moment. He had actually seen that fit, watched it in fascinated horror. 

It was a dark day, threatening acid rain, but the battle had gone on. The Autobots had managed to push the Decepticons into a corner, cut them off from all sides. It had taken every one of their base’s infantry but they had done it. He remembered being so proud of the moment, thinking in the back of his processor that Cliffjumper would have loved to be a part of it though the mini had been in stasis for several vorns already. He could still remember the minis on the front lines, smiling with pride over the victory. They had thought they had won the war. He had thought that for a moment too. 

Galvatron had been thrown back by Ultra Magnus. But Ultra had been a soft and young leader back then, optimistic and hopeful. He had held out his hand to Galvatron. He could still see it. Galvatron sat up on the ground, bleeding and beaten and tired. Ultra Magnus stood over him hand out reached, pleading, “Come Galvatron. You started this war with good intentions. Why not return to those ideals? We can build a world without the need for brands” he had said with a gesture to his own painted Autobot brand. 

Galvatron stared back at him. For a long moment it looked as though he would accept that hand…but then he had glanced back at the Autobot line, near where the minis were. Kup had been able to see the purple bot’s sanity slipping in that moment. He saw his optics widen in horror and shrink in anger. He saw the twitching servos as he looked around and mumbled under his breath. 

Galvatron had stood and backed away from Ultra Magnus, grabbing a Decepticon ironing brand—something they used to mark energon carriers or camp supplies. He had turned to face them, snapping the branding iron on with a quick swing. Kup could still remember his smirk and his haunted opics as he held the brand over his spark chamber and said, “One cannot wash away the past Magnus.” 

He pushed the brand against his platting, making his paint sizzle and pop in the heat, though you could barely hear it from all the gasps of the onlookers. But Galvatron remained silent, gritting his denta until he pulled the iron away, tossing it to the ground and leaving a burning hot Decepticon brand over his spark. “I am, and always will be, a Decepticon!” he had roared. “NOTHING WILL CHANGE THAT!”

The way Kup heard it, it was like a death sentence. Like he was resigned to his fate. Like he could never change again. He didn’t know what Galvatron meant with the act, but it drove the other Decepticons wild. They stood and rejoined the fight with newfound strength and pride. They broke the Autobot’s line. Their victory became a defeat. From then on, the Decepticons were branded when they joined the ranks, adopting the Decepticon ways for life, while Autobots were still capable of washing away their own brands. The choice was always there with them. With the Cons, you were a Con until you died, or got a new body. He was pretty sure there were hundreds of cons living as civilians with new bodies nowadays. Hiding in plain sight, dead to everyone but themselves. 

But he was digressing. Shaking himself out of his thoughts he continued, “That was only one instance. He would head out after battles and hang out in the no bot’s zone. He talked to himself often…saw things no one else saw. He even kidnapped and interrogated Autobots on pointless information. We never got the full story” Kup said, “but a few ano-cycles later, he stole the All Spark from the Sacred Temple of Primus.”

The students in the room all gasped in shock. Kup nodded with understanding. “Exactly! So of course the Autobots launched an immediate attack to get it back. But when we got to their base, the entire place was empty! We got the All Spark back, but after that we couldn’t find a Decepticon anywhere on the planet! Galvatron and his gang had just vanished! ”

The room held the atmosphere of a horror story. The dark made the picture of Galvatron seem more real. Bots looked towards each other for comfort and support. Even Sentinel flinched when a desk creaked or a door in the hallway slammed. Cliffjumper continued to stare at the picture, trying to sort out his feelings. Trying to think of how this information made him feel, like Smokscreen had asked all those millennia ago. He felt…sad…for Galvatron. He couldn’t even bring himself to think that the bot deserved it. It was easy to see that the bot felt guilty for what he did…and missed him. It seemed that the loneliness he had seen in the Warlord had come back with a vengeance…and eaten him alive. 

He swallowed the clump in his throat, refusing to cry but unable to stop he soft trembling of his clutched servos. He couldn’t hate Galvatron, not after this. He didn’t feel hate when he saw Galvatron’s faceplate… but he felt sadness, regret, betrayal… and now guilt. 

He could feel the sparkling tremble with sadness and clutch his spark, trying to comfort him, that made Cliff feel even worse. Now he was making the sparkling feel sad! Trying to pull himself together, Cliffjumper took a deep intake, unable to keep looking at the screen. He focused on the desk, the walls, the other students. It was just history he told himself, it already happened; there wasn’t any way to change it so just get over it. He had to focus on what was happening now, here. 

He focused on the sparkling, placing his servo over his spark chamber as though he was holding the sparkling to his chassis. He reached out to the sparkling, returning the hug with his spark, cooing to it that it was all ok in his head. The sparkling began to calm down, though he still fluttered with worry. Cliffjumper didn’t like that feeling. He tried to think of happy things to brighten the sparkling up. He thought of his old mini friends and Hound, and he thought of the old prank wars and he even let a memory of Galvatron slip in, though he quickly replaced it with other thoughts, like his next class and their new home. 

He heard the projector click and looked up to see a picture of…not Galvatron? But he looked like Galvatron. He had to shutter his optics several times to make sure he was seeing the picture right. He had the same face and body, but he was gunmetal gray and red and instead of a crest he had two sharp audio fins on the sides of his battle helmet.  
Kup spared him a worried glance. He had noticed how the bot had clutched at his chassis, but he didn’t know if it was bad memories or pain or something else. But whatever it was, Cliff seemed alright, so he continued with his lecture. “This is Megatron.” He said pointing to the screen. “In case you missed the family resemblance, he’s Galvatron’s son, created when Galvatron stole the All Spark. We don’t know who his other code donor is, but he was the heir to the Decepticons after Galvatron vanished. Now this is the war you all know!” he shouted out to the class. 

Cliffjumper stared at the new picture. It was strange to think of the huge grey bot as his sparkling’s Half-Brother, by code at least. It was even more confusing when he tried to figure out who was older. After all, his sparkling was conceived first, but had yet to be born. Megatron had centuries on the sparkling…and he had his father too. Megatron was the son Galvatron raised. Cliffjumper wondered if he was as lonely as his father…or as cruel. 

“The Autobot’s gained control of the planet after Galvatron left.” Kup continued, oblivious to the mini’s thoughts. “They recreated the government and were growing civilization up from the rubble. Inventions were popping up at every turn, many thanks to the newly formed Ministry of Science, including the Space Bridge Network. Bots were calling it the “Silver Age”…but it didn’t last long. Megatron began the second war with an attack on the outreaching bridges of the space bridge network. The Autobots immediately gathered up their forces, which had improved tremendously since the First War, and launched a counter attack. But Galvatron and Megatron hadn’t been idle the entire time they were gone” Kup added. “Their army had grown in size and power, they had found new energon sources and Galvatron had raised Megatron into an even better military leader than he was.”  
Kup’s optics glowed dimly in memory. All the students lent forward in their seats to hear his next words. “That war last centuries longer than the last. Galvatron vanished for good a few giga-cycles in, leaving Megatron in command and is presumed dead. But even after he left, both sides did a number of things we never would have even thought of before. Eventually it came down to power and strength. Megatron wanted to use the All Spark to win the war and we launched it into space to keep it out of his servos. With Project Omega and the space bridges we were able to force the remaining cons off planet again. For all you new ano-cycles, Project omega was the plan to create giant guardians to protect the Great Cities on the planet, so they wouldn’t be destroyed like they were during the First Great War. They won us the war. All have since been decommissioned and deactivated. The space bridge network allows for instantaneous travel around the universe for bots and supplies. We haven’t heard a peep from the cons since then, but that’s happened before. You all are the next generation of warriors and protectorates. It’s our job to prepare you for any fight you may face and to keep this planet safe from all threats. Class dismissed.” 

The clock chimed as Kup finished his lecture and headed out the door, slapping the lights on with an unsteady hand as he desperately bit his cy-gar on for the sweet chemicals. He didn’t like teaching history. It brought up too many memories. He had enough on his plate without going back for seconds. Really the only reason he agreed to teach it this quarter was for Cliffjumper. The mini would learn it best with someone he knew and respected, someone who’d lived through it. And if he was aware of the situation, Kup could stop before the kid broke down. He had informed him about what happened after the first war, though he avoided it for several lessons. From here on out it was historic inventions, economic development and memorable tactics! 

Cliffjumper stared at Kup’s back as the rest of the class filtered out. It seemed Kup had changed as well. He was more haunted. Sentinel nudged him to get up and head to lunch. Cliffjumper followed silently in thought as the blue bot ranted about ghost stories and their next lessons and his team. 

So that was Galvatron’s son… It seemed the warlord’s genes were strong; he looked just like his father. He wondered if his sparkling would look like Galvatron too. He wondered if he could take it, and he wondered about Galvatron. What happened to the poor bot? He wanted to know, but at the same time, he didn’t. He wanted to leave it all behind, even if it was an unfinished story. He didn’t need to know what happened no matter how much his spark said otherwise. Galvatron was dead. It was best to leave such things alone. 

End chapter 37


	39. Naps

Even though Perceptor had deleted most of his personality and emotions he could still feel. He could feel pride when a job was completed and he could feel annoyed at others bots, though these were usually very mild flashes of feeling. At the moment, he couldn’t help but feel amused as he inputted the results of Cliffjumper’s latest tests.

Cliffjumper had been online again for almost 6 mega-cycles now, meaning the sparkling was 7 or so mega-cycles along, give or take a few cycles. He was handling his school-workload admirably but it appeared that the constant studying and the sparkling’s progression had finally caught up to him. The mini was currently napping on the medical berth, curled on his side, servo’s protecting his chassis. He had come into the lab yawning and had simply fallen into recharge while Perceptor was checking his energon. 

Perceptor didn’t mind. The mini had gone through a lot in a short amount of time since he had woken up. All of his friends had grown and changed, some had passed and he had been thrust into a new life over which he had little control. Alpha Trion had been adamant over the bot’s path ever since the council had agreed to awaken him again. He wanted Cliffjumper firmly behind a desk, to protect him and the sparkling. Perceptor could at least understand how fragile the sparkling was and Cliffjumper as well being a mini, though both tried to be strong.

The sparkling itself was a mystery Perceptor was very excited about. Reaching for his ever present medical pad, he clicked through his multiple scans of Cliffjumper’s spark. On the sparkling’s first scan, he was hardly visible, just a blurr on the edges of Cliffjumper’s own bright spark. In fact, the medical team at the time had had to conduct multiple scans to ensure there wasn’t an error. But the blurr had appeared in each one. They had even changed data pads, but all showed the same image. Eventually it was the mini’s energon work that confirmed he was carrying. Wheeljack had been the one to make the discovery, though he had to have Perceptor double check his results to make sure he wasn’t making a mistake.

Perceptor could still remember what had happened when Magnus and his highest ranking bots had first found out. 

It had been several cycles since Galvatron’s attack and the mini had yet to awaken. Many bots feared the worse. Bots had been known to just shut down after such attacks or became empty shells. It was understandable to some extent. After all, the spark was not only one’s energy source, it was their connection to Primus, their literal spark of life. To have that spark defiled in such a forceful and cruel way was…frightening and horrific to many bots. Few recovered to be completely healthy again, and many remained haunted by the memory. All wondered into which group Cliffjumper would fall. 

When he and Wheeljack had presented their findings, showing the results of the energon work and their scans of Cliffjumper’s spark, the entire room had fallen silent. Magnus, still a young leader then had shock written completely over his faceplate. Alpha Trion had been ecstatic, praising Primus and making the situation seem like divine intervention. It was Kup that pulled everybot’s attention away from the sparkling and back to Cliffjumper, reminding them all that the mini had just been violently attacked and violated. 

“It’s next to impossible this kid will even accept the sparkling, let alone want him!” Kup had said. “He could reject it and that little light would blink out like it was nothing and I can’t blame him if he did.”

“There must be something we can do Magnus” Alpha Trion had pleaded, “Something to convince him that this sparkling is a miracle…something to protect it…”

“I cannot force Cliffjumper to do anything for or against the sparkling” Ultra Magnus had said softly, “it is his body and his decision.” 

“I am sure we could convince him if he had enough time” Alpha Trion had added, almost desperately. 

“We could move him off planet, or to a secret hospital…” another bot had ventured, “give him time to recover there…”

“There is no guarantee he would survive either case with the Decepticons still so powerful. Even more so if they find out who the sparkling’s father is…” Punch, the head of Autobot Intel at the time had warned. “They could kidnap Cliffjumper, or the sparkling… or kill them!” he had added. Punch had spent a great amount of time with the Decepticons under the guise of Counterpunch—a minor Decepticon solider—as such, his opinion on Decepticons was always highly valued and noted.   
“You must also consider, gentle-bots, the time we live in. We are still at war. We have no idea how far it will spread or how long it will last” Skydive, the head of their aerial forces had added sadly. “This is hardly the time to raise a sparkling.” 

All of the bots in the room fell silent. Perceptor could sense their disappointment and grief. There was no telling what would happen then. Cliffjumper could reject the sparkling or if he agreed to the plan, be killed despite their efforts. Even if they sparkling did survive there was only so much protection against the cons. There were too many possibilities and not enough options at the time. Perceptor had been a much younger bot then, still unsure of himself and easily distracted by his emotions. He was one of the few that survived the destruction of the Science academy in one of the early waves of the war, but he had remained hopeful in their efforts to regain the planet. He had not wanted to let his commanders down, and so he spoke out. “What if he could raise the sparkling at a later time?” 

Suddenly the entire room’s attention was on him. “What do you mean Perceptor?” Skydive asked. 

“W-we could put him in stasis…perhaps even until the end of the war…”

“Is that even possible?” Punch had asked dubiously. 

Perceptor still thanked Primus for Wheeljack stepping in that time. “We can do it. With Perceptor’s brains and my engineering, we can make a pod for prolonged stasis.”

The bots had thrown the idea around for nearly an micro-cycle after that, arguing location and security, technology and espionage. Eventually they reached an agreement. They would construct the pod and hide it on that base, the main base of the Autobot forces, its location known only to them and the necessary medical staff. It would have its own power source and shielding. All that remained was convincing Cliffjumper and constructing the pod and space. 

“Kup. Do you think Cliffjumper will agree to this plan? And will he be able to withstand the stress of prolonged stasis and rebirth in a new time?” Ultra Magnus asked, looking to the older bot. 

“…it’ll take some convincing, but the kid’s got a strong spark, I can’t deny that…” Kup answered with a dreg of his cy-gar, “we can only hope that it’ll be enough…”

With a somber nod, Ultra Magnus gave the final order. “We shall have to work quickly. Perceptor, Wheeljack, begin construction on the pod. Alpha Trion, Kup, try and convince Cliffjumper, the rest of us shall assist if he needs further encouragement. That is all.” 

A soft beeping pulled Perceptor out of his memory files. Cliffjumper had turned again and had jogged one of the connectors loose. As he moved to turn off the machine, Cliffjumper absently waved his servo towards the side of the berth, as if reaching for something. When he apparently missed, he softly grumbled, “slagging alarm…” and onlined his optics. Apparently recognizing that he was not at his dorm, he mumbled “Did I fall asleep again?” as he sat up on the berth, stretching his arms above his head.

“Again?” Perceptor asked, curious. Had the minibot been napping in strange areas or something? 

“It’s been like this all mega-cycle…” he said with another yawn, “I just can seem to keep my optics online….” He had been napping, or fighting the urge to nap, for several cycles now. In class he had to make sure he was actively awake and taking notes or he’d lull into a light doze. That had not ended well in Kup’s class and that bot knew about the sparkling! He did not want to have to explain to his other professors that there was a little spark growing in his chassis that was messing with his sleeping schedule!

“The sparkling is developing very rapidly. It is growing larger and absorbing nutrients to solidify its form.” Perceptor explained as he moved to unplug Cliffjumper from the machines. “Naturally, this is taking a toll on your body. If you do not wish to nap, you can simply intake standard energon, it should provide you with extra energy to last out the day without risking over-nutrient toxicity to the sparkling. Have you been following our orders and recharging and refueling properly?”

“Yes, yes” Cliffjumper said with a roll of his optics, “no all-nighters and no skipped meals.”

“Good.” Perceptor nodded, clicking on the large screen to show Cliffjumper the latest scan. The mini turned around eagerly on the berth to see. The sparkling was now a bright and solid light on the screen, glowing brightly on the edges of Cliffjumper spark. It was still small, but visibly larger from the last few scans. Perceptor couldn’t help but share Cliffjumper’s awe. They had certainly come far, farther than many at the time had dared to hope. Cliffjumper was alive, peace was here and the sparkling was healthy. It was sad that not all were here to see it, but Perceptor was proud that he had lasted the centuries to bear witness. 

End Chapter 38


	40. The Gun Range

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> character details can be found here: http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Protectobot _ Sniper

Throughout the entire base, students were huddled in their rooms, surrounded by data pads and half-empty energon cubes, running on half recharge cycles and stressed beyond reason. It was finals week. As professors prepared the final exams, their students crammed desperately, pouring over notes, begging friends for help, and praying to Primus for mercy. Cliffjumper was one of these students. At the moment he sat at his desk, optics glued to the data pad with his procedure notes on it, foot tapping anxiously against the leg of his too high chair. He’d been like that for mico-cycles now. There was a crick in his back. Even the sparkling was getting fidgety, running around his spark in every possible direction. 

He heard clock chime. Breaking away from his notes to look at the sky out his window he saw it was sundown. Stretching wide with a groan, he heard his back pop. He had to stop. Much more of this and he’d lock up permanently—he was sure of it. Looking out the window again, he decided it was high time to visit the gun range on the edges of campus. 

Sparing his notes a final glance he headed out the door, taking the elevator for a quick exit. On the ground, the base was mostly empty. A few stray bots continued to study under the glow of the quad lamps, but most had picked up and headed to their dorms. Cutting around the Special Ops building Cliffjumper made it to the range in record time. He’d often passed the building between classes but had yet to pay it a visit, being so busy with his new school load and life. 

It was a huge grey building, reinforced with steel and only three levels high but covered in security cameras. This was mostly because new Autobot weaponry was tested there and no one wanted to risk leaks. Which was also why there was so many hoops to jumper through to actually use the weapons themselves. When Cliffjumper entered the building, he was met with a second set of doors. In order to get by, he had to scan his ID and was instantly logged into the system, which took note of the time he entered and would need to be scanned again when he left to get the that time too. Finally making it past the security clearance, Cliffjumper wondered if the stress was even worth the effort, but then he entered the main building. 

The entire place was split into several combat stations. There were a few towers for sniper practice, a standard long shot range, an obstacle course and even a pool for water training. It was practically a gun-lover’s paradise! Cliffjumper spent several second staring in awe before he noticed a guard box on the top floor, overlooking the entire compound and if the wall of screens inside the bullet-proof glass were any indication, they watched the security cameras too. Directly under the box was a high tech metal counter. Blasters of every shape, size and type lined the walls behind it and a metal door in the corner promised even more goodies in the back. There wasn’t anyone else in the entire place, which was probably why the bot manning the counter was reading a datapad. The bot was apparently a helicopter, with a large rotor on each of his shoulders and a teal and white paintjob with more than its share of scratches. 

Cliffjumper walked up to the counter, tapping it lightly as he greeted the bot, “Hey there.”

The bot looked up from his datapad, apparently a bit surprised at anyone being there in the middle of finals. With a grunt and a nod, he put his pad down and held out his servo to Cliffjumper, palm up like he was expecting a tip or something. 

Galvatron used to hold out his hand like that to help Cliffjumper stand up. It was also the way he held his hand the first time they met, when he kissed it. Cliffjumper stared at the bot’s hand with uncertainty, unsure what he wanted since it clearly wasn’t a handshake and he’d already passed his ID through the system. Eventually, the old bot grumble, “servo.”

Figuring it was another security measure, Cliffjumper held his servo out to the bot, who grabbed it closer, making him reach farther over the counter. The bot flicked open a small compartment on his wrist. It showed his spark pulse and had a few empty ports for plugging into machines, though he hadn’t used it since everything was wireless now. The bot bent his wrist forward, apparently to get a better look at it and pulled a compact electric charger out from under the counter. Before Cliffjumper could say anything, the bot jammed it into one of his ports. “HEY!” Cliffjumper shouted as he felt the current surge up his arm, frying the circuits in his servos and overloading all the rest. He pulled away with a harsh grunt of pain, cutting off the current before it could reach his spark, where the sparkling was frantically flying around. Grabbing his dead arm, he gritted his denta as he cursed in a quick flood, “Primus-fragging-son-of-a-pitspawned-glitchmouse-ugh! What the scrap was that for!?” He asked the bot furiously. 

The bot was looking at him like he’d been the one shocked! He held the charger limply in his servo, his other hand still posed like it was holding his. “What happened?” he whispered, bewildered.

“You fragged my arm is what happened!” Cliffjumper snapped back. 

The bot checked the charger, but it was at it average level of charge. There was no way it could have sent out that jolt. “When was the last time you had your stingers calibrated?” he asked. 

“My what!?” 

“Your stingers!” 

“What stingers!? I don’t have any stingers!” Cliffjumper shouted back, still clutching his arm. 

“What were you planning to do here if you don’t have any stingers then!?” the bot yelled back, figuring the kid was messing with him. 

“It’s a shooting range! I was planning to shoot a gun!” Cliffjumper shouted back, arm still flopping uselessly at his side. 

“But you’re a mini!”

“What’s that supposed to mean!?” 

“It means you use stingers! Not a gun!” The bot shouted back, exasperated. 

“I don’t have stingers!” 

“But you’re a mini!”

“Being a mini doesn’t mean I have stingers! You’re a copter, does that automatically mean you have blades!?” 

“…But you’re a mini!”

“Ugh!” Cliffjumper said with a great heave, though his other arm was still useless. He pressed his comm to call Perceptor, hoping the bot hadn’t left for home yet. The microscope answered after the second ring, like always. “Perceptor! Can you come down to the shooting range? Some jerk-bot fried my arm!” he said with a glare at the bot behind the counter.

“I will arrive shortly” Perceptor replied before cutting the call. 

“You better not have messed anything up you slagger!” Cliffjumper growled, placing his working hand over his chassis and taking a deep intake. The sparkling was still frantic. He tried to calm it down, but even after it stopped racing around his spark, it wouldn’t sit still. Calm down, it’s ok he cooed. We’re fine. Just wait for Percy.

“The name is Mark-5 midgit!” The bot said, standing to his tallest, though it didn’t do much since Cliffjumper was already shorter than most bots. “Protectorbot elite sniper!”

“You could be Bluestreak for all I care! At least he would have asked before stabbing me with an electric charger!” 

“Hey! Don’t mock my teacher!” 

Cliffjumper opened his mouth to yell back, but then blinked, trying to make sense of what the bot said. “Wait…what!?” 

“Bluestreak was my sniping teacher at the Autobot Academy of Praxis!”

“The kid actually made it back to Praxis?” Cliff asked with awe. Hound hadn’t told him what happened to Bluestreak and it had completely slipped his processor to ask about their young sniper. He had still been a newbie when Cliffjumper had gone under, in the ranks for less than a giga-cycle despite his reputation. “What happened to him?” Cliffjumper began to ask, leaning forward against the counter. 

Perceptor arrived before Mark-5 could answer him. The microscope carried his medical pad and what looked like a small charger reader. “Cliffjumper. Allow me to look at your arm.” Cliffjumper turned to show him his limp arm. The microscope gently picked up the servo, holding the arm up to scan. “What happened?” he asked. 

Mark-5 spoke before Cliffjumper could speak. “I tried to activate his battle grade stingers for shooting practice, but he says he doesn’t have any.” 

Perceptor nodded as he lowered Cliffjumper’s arm, aiming the scanner at his spark chamber while he replied, “Mark-5, Cliffjumper is not equipped with the standard 65356-9292-346 model stingers. He was sparked vorns before they even became standard. The switch on his arm, through which you sent a current, is meant to monitor spark beat and provide uplink connections. It is similar in appearance to the spark controls of stingers, but they serve completely different purposes. Cliffjumper, your circuits have been fried, but the charge apparently didn’t reach beyond your arm, your spark is stable. Wheeljack and I will replace your arm tomorrow morning, alright? No shooting for you today.” 

Cliffjumper groaned in defeat and relief. Reading between the lines, Perceptor had basically told him that the sparkling was alright. He didn’t like the fact that he’d come out here for nothing though but then again, he couldn’t shoot with just one arm. “Fine, but I can come back after that, right? Tell Mark-5 here I can use a gun.” 

“You’re a mini! Minis use stingers!” Mark-5 interjected with a growl. 

“I don’t have stingers!” 

“Mark-5. Cliffjumper has adequate experience to handle a firearm,” Perceptor interjected, making Cliffjumper smirk. “However, Cliffjumper, you are not to use anything more powerful than a standard rifle for an average sized bot. The backlash and energy pressure of anything greater could pose a risk to your spark. Understood?”

Cliffjumper nodded. Too much of an energy backlash could hurt the sparkling. He’d stick to low level ammunition and weapons. “Alright. Thanks Perceptor, sorry for making you come out here.”

Perceptor nodded his goodbye and simply said, “be on time tomorrow morning.” before leaving. 

Cliffjumper instantly turned to Mark-5 when the door shut, “Tell me about Bluestreak!” 

“Why should I, what does it matter to you?”

“I’m a super old friend of his! We fought together during the First Great war, when he’d first joined the Autobots! And besides, you fried my arm! You owe me!” 

“That’s impos—wait! What did you say your name was?”

“Cliffjumper.” 

“He sometimes mentioned a bot named Cliffjumper! A red mini, he said went missing after an attack. That you? Aren’t you supposed to be offline?” 

“It’s a long boring story. Now come on! Tell me about the kid!”

“Alright! Alright! Calm down. After the first war, Bluestreak headed back to Praxis to help in the reconstruction. By the time the Second War came around, he’s been a teacher at the Autobot Academy branch there for a few vorns, mostly for snipping and Praxin culture. He taught every sniper that went out to fight the cons then…well, every decent one. He’s still there, doing the same thing.” 

Cliffjumper smiled lightly. So the kid was doing good. That was great to know. “what’s he like now?” he asked. Bluestreak had still been a kid when he’d joined up, he probably changed with the time, gained some confidence at least. 

“Talkative, like you said” Mark-5 replied. He liked talking about his old teacher. “He’s really smart though, has to be to find the perfect spot to take a shot and not get caught. You’d never tell with the way he acts though. He’s a notorious prankster. He always gets his students, at least once.” Mark-5 added with a small smirk. He could still remember his own prank. He’d gotten the classic “buzzer-handle blaster.” Basically, when he tried to shoot the gun, he would get a shock on his servo. But no one could hold a grudge against the bot, if anything it made them all closer. On really good ano-cycles, the classes would rise up against the bot, though he was near impossible to prank. He used to joke around and say it was from experience that he was un-prankable. The pranks were like initiations into the Autobots. 

“Looks like the twins rubbed off on him” Cliffjumper replied to the news. Bluestreak had always been an active player in the prank wars after the twins adopted him as some kind of third brother. He was the little brother of the base after they’d first found him. 

“He always used to say that the Autobots aren’t just a faction or a team, but a family.” Mark said softly. 

Cliffjumper smiled. “That sounds just like him…” he said softly. Bluestreak had always clung to the concept of family. Looked to those around him like brothers or sisters or uncles. He wondered if the bot even realized how big a part he played in making that family. Everybot on base was connected through Bluestreak, since he was so talkative and endearing. He was the one that they bonded through. Even now, after all this time, the bot still had the talent for creating bonds. Cliffjumper hoped his sparkling would have that talent too. 

Cliffjumper and Mark-5 spent the next several micro-cycles talking about Bluestreak, both as a kid and as a teacher. They talked about their base and army experiences, and weapons. Eventually though, the sparkling got tired and wanted to go home, sinking heavily against Cliffjumper’s spark, making him feel tired and making his back ache. He reluctantly bid Mark-5 goodnight, telling him that he still had finals to worry about, but that he would definitely be back. After all, he still wanted to shoot stuff. 

As he walked back to his dorm room, arm flopping limply by his side, he smirked. It wasn’t exactly what he was expecting for the night, but he couldn’t complain too much. At least he wasn’t as stressed at he’d been before…and he had a new friend too. 

End chapter 40


	41. Angry Jolts

It was not a good morning. Cliffjumper had had a fitful night. Nightmares and fleeting memory purges had made kept him tossing and turning all recharge. When the alarm woke him up he was tangled in his blanket and ended up falling out of bed trying to get free. On top of that, it seemed the sparkling was having a bad day too. It didn’t want to eat, making Cliffjumper feel nauseated after half a morning cube. His chassis felt particularly heavy that day too, making the joints in his peds feel pressured. All he wanted to do was sit down and take a slagging nap. 

Instead he got to go to class and force himself to stay awake for whatever boring lesson his ethnics professor had planned today. A plan the sparkling did not appreciate apparently. 

As Cliffjumper leaned back in his chair in class, trying to keep his back straight to avoid pain later, a sudden sharp jolt of energy hit his spark, making him jump in his seat and drop his data pad and stylus to the ground with a sharp clack, cutting the professor off mid-sentence to glare at him. “Problem Cliffjumper?” Cebrebros asked coldly. He did not appreciate being interrupted on any day but the political happenings on the edges of the galaxy had made him particularly unforgiving that morning. 

“Sorry Sir” Cliffjumper apologized nervously, picking up his pad and placing it flat on the desk, ignoring Sentinel’s snickers. That had never happened before! He’d gotten tiny sparks at best when the sparkling was happy or glum, but that had felt like a kick to the spark! If he didn’t know better he’d say the kid dented his chamber! And if he hadn’t it seemed that’s what it was aiming for! He got another jolt when he leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desk. He barely managed to keep the squeak of pain in, but he’d sat up so suddenly his chair creaked loudly. The professor glared at him again but he couldn’t help it, that hurt! Quickly organizing a private link, he sent Perceptor a text: Perceptor, the sparkling just shocked me! It felt like a kick in the chassis!:

A few moments later, Perceptor replied : The sparkling has matured to the point of being able to control and manipulate its own energy to express displeasure:  
Cliffjumper slumped in his chair and received another shock, making him sit up with a tiny growl as he replied: in plain cybertronian!: 

He could almost feel the smirk in Perceptor’s reply : The sparkling is angry and apparently it has your temper: 

“…Slag” was all Cliffjumper could say. 

“That’s it!” Cerebros snapped, “Get out!”

Several bots stared at him in shock over his outburst—he was usually so calm!—but Cliffjumper jumped at the opportunity to get out of there. Grabbing his stuff, he waved goodbye to Sentinel and was out the door. Hopefully a nap would placate the sparkling enough that he’d stop shocking him! 

Meanwhile, the students shrank back in fear as professor as he growled and continued the lecture. This was just not his cycle. 

End Chapter 41


	42. Sleeplessness

It was the middle of the night. Bots all over campus, heck, all over this side of Cybertron, were in deep recharge.  
Cliffjumper was not one of these bots. The mini was staring helplessly at the wall in his darkened room, counting cyber-sheep and trying to clear his processor. It really shouldn’t be that hard, but there he was, awake when he should have been sleeping, grumbling over how fickle the sparkling could be. Just a few mega-cycles ago, the sparkling had wanted nothing but sleep, making him nap all the time! Now he wanted to keep him awake! Why can’t you just make up your mind? Cliffjumper thought to himself as he turned on his other side. 

He’d been tossing around on his berth ever since the sun set and he didn’t even feel drowsy. The first few times this had happened, he’d just stayed up all night, figuring if he wasn’t tired he didn’t need sleep. Perceptor and Wheeljack had not taken that too well when they’d figured it out and made him promise to try and sleep on a regular schedule again. But there wasn’t anything Cliffjumper could do about it! The sparkling didn’t want to sleep and he couldn’t take any type of sleeping medication so the only thing left to do was stare into the dark, a hobby Cliffjumper was not enjoying for several reasons. One, it was boring and two…it left him space to think…and Galvatron was always the one to fill up that void.   
Memories, one after another, hopped forward to fill the darkness. He’d glance out the window and remember him and Galvatron stargazing. He’d wrap himself in the blanket and remember Galvatron’s strong arms around him. He’d shut off his optics and see Galvatron’s face. It was like the harder he tried to forget about the bot the more he reappeared, refusing to fade away. 

Sometimes, if Cliffjumper wasn’t careful, he could almost feel the bot. He could hear his chuckle tickle his audio, feel the heat of another body against his back or a servo stroke his horn. Those feelings always left his spark pulsing. He just couldn’t believe the feelings were so strong. He had loved the bot, opened his spark to him like he had never done with another, and even after his betrayal, he still remembered him. But it wasn’t supposed to be this way! He’d decided to forget the bot for slag’s sake! Why couldn’t he do it!?

“Slag it Galvatron!” Cliffjumper growled to himself, “why can’t you just disappear!?” 

It hurt to remember the bot! It made his spark ache and that wasn’t something he could afford or allow. Galvatron was dead. Why didn’t his spark want to accept that!? Why couldn’t he let it go? He didn’t want to remember anymore. He didn’t want to hurt anymore. He was so sick and tired of the hole in his spark that called out for a bot that was long gone. 

Clutching the sheets he curled into himself. He would have to try harder. He didn’t care what it took, if he had to bury himself in work he’d gladly do it if it meant getting away from the memories. He had to escape the past. 

End chapter 42


	43. A Nice Conversation

Cliffjumper sat at a sunny table in the main quad, a half empty cube of sweet medical grade next to a stack of datapads. His first quarter was over and done with and he was halfway through his second. He never was much of a study bot, but he’d passed his classes and schoolwork was a surprisingly decent distraction from worse off thoughts. 

He was still getting used to his classes being about knowledge and not strength, but he was doing better than expected. Being naturally paranoid was apparently an asset in the Intel world. Though if Cliffjumper was being honest, he had become more paranoid than ever before. He found it hard to trust any new bots, worked hard to keep track of everyone and kept mostly to himself, listening to everything he could. In the back of his mind was that fear of discovery, fear of the truth. Fear of being branded a traitor and his sparkling a monster if he let the truth slip to the wrong bot. It was that fear that kept him from telling any bot he didn’t already know about the sparkling, like Sentinel. 

Cliffjumper put down his stylus, looking up to see a few other groups. Some bots were headed to class, others were just hanging out…and a select few were with their bot or femmefriend, holding hands or kissing softly as they enjoyed the nice day. Looking at them made Cliffjumper’s own spark clench. 

He knew how those bots felt, the joy of their love and the disregard of the future. He had felt that once too…sometimes he thought he could still feel it. Whatever lingering feelings were still there would sometimes pop up in full force, making him miss those old meetings and their merging, the sense that it was right to be together despite everything saying it was wrong. But he didn’t let himself think about it for more than an instant. Whenever the thoughts popped up, guilt immediately followed. He had put all of his friends at risk by being so open-sparked. In the optics of the law he was basically a traitor, no matter what his spark said. 

The sparkling suddenly started fluttering. It didn’t like it when Cliffjumper felt down. The mini smiled softly, closing his optics and placing his servo over his spark, feeling the light flutters. The little spark was so kind-sparked, trying to cheer him up. 

A rich refined voice suddenly filtered by his audio, “Hello Cliffjumper.” 

Cliffjumper jumped out of his chair with a yelp and instantly opened his optics. No bot was there! But he knew that trick and he sure as slag recognized that hoity-toity voice. “Mirage! Were you trying to give me a spark-attack?!”

A deep chuckle floated out as light began to shimmer around the bot, revealing him as he sat across from him at the table. “Nice to see you too” he replied with a smirk. Cliffjumper couldn’t help but wonder how long he’d been there, and if he’d seen him watching the couples. That would bring up some bad questions. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked. He hadn’t spotted Mirage on base even once since he’d arrive. Granted that wasn’t much of a surprise if he still used that generator as often as he used too, but Hound had told him he was a spy and a racer, that meant he stuck to the Intel side of the base or the off base racing grounds right? Then again, the former noble could just be there to see Hound. 

“I just got back from a mission” Mirage explained as Cliffjumper sat down again, a bit surprised that the bot wasn’t making a huge fuss about him being there. He and Cliffjumper used to get into if for lesser things during the first war. Mirage supposed they were just too different, but it seemed as though that time in stasis and his subsequent rebirth had changed the mini as Hound had said…or at least made him a bit more laidback. “I saw you and figured I’d stop by for a chat. After all, it has been awhile. How have you been?”

“Pretty busy” Cliffjumper said, gesturing towards his pads.

“I must say, processor work does not seem your forte…” Mirage said delicately. The Cliffjumper he had known was a hands-on bot. He worked hard of course, but it was with his servos, not his mind. He couldn’t help but feel that the mini was out of place surrounded by data pads, the gun range or a battlefield suited him much more. 

“Yeah, I don’t think so either” Cliffjumper replied with a groan, pushing away one of his datapads, “but I don’t have much choice.”

“Why is that?” Mirage asked curiously. Even without an Academy education, Cliffjumper had enough active duty experience to gain the rank of a minor or land himself on a decent team, protecting the space bridge network or serving the Primes and Magnus. He doubted the mini could return to civilian life though. Even after ano-cycles of racing, Mirage still felt his job was espionage. 

“Hound didn’t tell you?” Cliffjumper asked. When Mirage nodded no, he smiled. Hound hadn’t told anybot—not even Mirage!—about his condition. He really was a true friend! But Cliff knew that must have been a burden too. At least it seemed like one for him. A sparkling was a big secret to keep. Cliffjumper could always feel it looming over his head, right on top of the truth of his conception. He supposed it wasn’t fair to put that pressure on Hound, with no one to talk to it about and share the burden. He didn’t trust Mirage, but he knew Hound did. Hound loved the bot. There had to be something there, even if Cliffjumper didn’t see it…right? The sparkling fluttered in his chassis, tugging on his spark, reaching out towards the noble. Well, that settled that. If the sparkling liked him, Cliff didn’t have much of an argument left. Looking around he gestured the bot closer. Mirage leaned in to hear Cliffjumper whisper, “I’m carrying.” 

Mirgae pulled back in surprise. Cliffjumper…carrying? “A sparkling!?” he asked in shock. Hound had told him that Cliffjumper was back, that he had been in stasis but he hadn’t told him why and he certainly never mentioned a sparkling! 

“Yes, and I’m only telling you so Hound won’t have to know alone, alright?”

Mirage nodded, “I appreciate that…” Hound had a bad habit of shouldering any burden that came his way. He never spread rumors and he never broke promises, especially those concerning secrets. But he was an open bot by nature and keeping secrets caused him a lot of stress. It was nice to know he’d be able to share this secret with him and help him. 

“So why haven’t you and Hound bonded yet?” Cliffjumper asked suddenly, laughing when Mirage suddenly turned red. 

“Still so brash!” Mirage stuttered in embarrassment, most bots had more tact then that, but he should have expected it from Cliffjumper! “…It’s complicated…” he answered softly, frowning. 

Bonding wasn’t the same as simple spark merging. It was the irreversible and eternal tying of two sparks together. The way it worked was there was a ceremony before a person of power, though some bots liked to do it before the All Spark, then the two bots would drink a very special form of spark energon that would allow a link to form between their two sparks when they consummated the bonding. After that, they were stuck together for life and until death. With their sparks so closely tied, they could communicate over vast distances, feel each other’s emotions and know then the other had gone offline. 

Few bonded couples survived long after one of the pair had died. Cliffjumper’s own parents had gone to the Well within a mega-cycle of each other. His father had died in a work accident and his mother was just so spark-broken that she followed him. Bumper had already died and he and Ross-9 had grown up and gone out on their own by then, so she had nothing holding her back. Cliffjumper could still remember the grief he felt then, but he was glad they had passed before the war began. His father was a fighter, but his mother had been a soft spark, war would not have done well for her. With all the joy that came with a bond there was just as much danger, so Cliffjumper could understand why Hound and Mirage would put it off during the war…but now? “What’s up?” Cliffjumper asked, unsure as to whether or not Mirage would tell him. After all, they were hardly close friends…

“Listen Cliffjumper.” Mirage said, “…I don’t know if Hound told you, but during the war, he was captured and interrogated by Decepticons.”

“What?” Cliffjumper asked in shock. Hound had been interrogated!? Primus it was a miracle he wasn’t killed! 

“They kept him for two cycles in an underground bunker, tied up and blindfolded. He said it was only one Decepticon, but he never saw him and he masked his voice. He said they asked him about base security and Intel secrets. Of course, being a scout, he could hardly know anything about either… It was only after that that I confessed to him…the thought that I would have lost him without telling him the truth…” Mirage shuddered. He had held back a lot before that incident, but after it he had bared his spark to Hound, hoping for the best. It had been worth it. His friendship with Hound had easily become love and lasted through every conflict they had faced together. But that was not enough to convince either of them to bond. “We’ve been waiting since then…The Decepticons aren’t gone Cliffjumper. They may not be within optic sight anymore, but we don’t want to risk bonding until it’s truly safe for us. Until we can actually live out our days without seeing the next war coming or fearing that what sends us to Primus is a gun and not a natural occurrence…” he explained. He and Hound wanted their bonding to be on their terms, not on the terms of a war or politics. They wanted to grow old together, not die together in a battle. It wasn’t an easy choice, and there are moments when he desperately earned for that spark bond, but he didn’t want to settle for less where Hound was concerned. He didn’t just want ‘what time they could get,’ he wanted eternity. 

Cliffjumper took in the news with a somber nod. He could understand that, even if he couldn’t imagine a life without conflict. For an instant he wondered what it would be like if he and Galvatron had had the chance to bond…but it was a hurtful pointless dream he forced out of his processor as soon as it popped up. 

Silence filled between the two bots, not awkward like the ones they used to share, but mutual. It was probably the first of its kind, Cliffjumper thought with a smirk. The sparkling fluttered in his spark, wanting some attention. He patted his chassis softly, letting the spark flood his spark with feeling. 

“…You really have changed…” Mirage said softly as he watched the bot tenderly pat his chassis, like he was soothing the sparkling itself. Hound had told him that the bot was different. He said the mini was quieter, calmer, that in class he would listen and hardly even fidget. Mirage hadn’t believed him at first, but he could hardly deny it now. The bot had actually had a real conversation with him for Primus’ sake! He’d trusted him with knowledge of the sparkling! 

Cliffjumper smiled softly, tapping his chassis, “Maybe a bit…” but then he smirked and added, “I still think that invisibility thing is creepy though.” 

Mirage gave a hearty laugh at the comment before saying. “Ah well, I suppose some things will never change.” 

“At least nothing else will surprise me.” Cliffjumper stated. It was odd being on friendly terms with the former noble, but he’d make an effort for Hound, and besides, the sparkling kind of liked him. 

Mirage’s faceplate slowly split into a smirk. Cliffjumper though his invisibility was bad? He was going to meet worse in the Intel department. He couldn’t help but say “Just wait till you meet Blurr.”

“Who’s Blurr?” Cliffjumper asked cautiously, not liking that smirk on the noble’s faceplate, especially not when it grew brighter as he stood up. 

“You’ll see.” Mirage said simply and vanished where he stood. Staring at where Mirage just was, Cliffjumper could only pout and roll his optics. All these ano-cycles and he was still so dramatic. 

End chapter 43


	44. Locking Joints

Wheeljack paced nervously back in forth in the lab as he spared the clock on the wall another glance. Cliffjumper was late, very late, later than he’d ever been! 

“Do you think he overslept?” Wheeljack asked Perceptor as the microscope read through the mini’s medical file. It seemed he was always going through that pad lately. The last time Wheeljack had seen him so into something was when he was working on the heterotic inversion-manifold theory for the space bridge network. 

Perceptor nodded imperceptibly, “he’s been waking up to alarms for vorns; he wouldn’t fall into recharge again unless he was completely exhausted.” But a small frown still decorated his faceplate. The mini had been having sleeping issues. Not too long ago he’d even been going completely without recharge. He pulled up the sleep schedule he’d worked up on Cliffjumper’s medical pad. These last few nights he’d hardly slept at all. “Call him” he told Wheeljack.

Nodding, the engineer tapped his comm. link, setting up a three way link with Perceptor so he could listen in. After a few rings, Cliffjumper answered. 

:Oh hey Jack, how’s it going?: Cliffjumper replied casually, throwing Wheeljack off. He’d really supposed the mini was in recharge, but from the sound of it, he was up and awake. 

“Cliff, where are you? You’re late for your appointment.” Wheeljack said nervously as he stopped pacing. 

:In my room:

“…why?”

:I can’t move my legs: Cliffjumper replied simply with a resigned chuckle. The mini had freaked out a bit when he first figured it out but he’d gotten over it. He couldn’t move but he wasn’t in any pain necessarily. This had happened to him a few times before when he was a miner. Energon and mining dust got in your joints and locked them up so you couldn’t move them. A hot shower usually did away with it. But since he hadn’t been in a mine recently, Cliffjumper figured it was just another one of the sparkling’s gifts.

“…What!?” Wheeljack asked, concerned, though Perceptor looked like everything was explained now, writing something into his pad and standing up to pack some tools. 

:My joints are locked: Cliffjumper explained. 

“We’ll be right there” Perceptor interjected, picking up a handheld monitor and heading for the door. 

:I’m not going anywhere: Cliffjumper added before cutting the call. 

“Care to explain?” Wheeljack asked as he followed preceptor down the hall, smothering his own franticness since Perceptor was apparently calm about it.

“I’ve been expecting this as a possibility. The sparkling is getting bigger and this literally places a larger amount of pressure on Cliffjumper and his spark, even more so because he is a mini. His small stature means he feels the impact of the sparkling to a greater extent than a larger bot would. His legs are simply bending to the strain. It should wear off but I cannot say when until I see the extent of their exhaustion.” Perceptor explained as they exited the labs and headed towards the dorm. 

“So how many symptoms that that make now?” Wheeljack asked, curiously. 

“So far Cliffjumper has experienced nausea, cravings, drowsiness, angry jolts, sleeplessness and now locked joints. Essentially all of the early symptoms…” Perceptor trailed off, a flicker of nervousness flashing in his optics. The symptoms were all normal, but they had occurred earlier than expected and were passing quickly. Perceptor wasn’t sure how this would affect the sparkling, and was especially concerned with how Cliffjumper would take them as they got more extreme. So far the mini had been very strong, taking them as they came, but he didn’t know how well the mini would hold out later. 

“What are the later symptoms?” Wheeljack asked, frowning. 

“…I fear they may be greatly harm or endanger Cliffjumper, especially if the sparkling continues its current rate of growth.” Perceptor said softly, optics lowering to stare at his peds like they did when he was a young nervous bot. “Aside from longer locked joints… trouble breathing, loss of appetite, spark swelling and extreme exhaustion are all possible symptoms…”

“And with Cliffjumper being a mini and the birth planned near the end of his finals…?”

“They may occur in a greater than average scale…” Perceptor confirmed. It didn’t matter how tough or strong Cliffjumper was, he was still a mini…and he was carrying the sparkling of a bot several times his size. 

“Is there anything we can do about it?” Wheeljack asked thickly. 

“In the worst case we shall have to hospitalize him during the last few mega-cycles, perhaps even extract the sparkling early…” He said with obvious reluctance. If they extracted the sparkling too early, even if it survived it could be irreparably injured or underdeveloped. It may not take to the protoform or develop properly if it did. He didn’t want to risk it, especially when he didn’t even know the consequences! There just wasn’t enough existing information and the result was too important to gamble with…

Wheeljack patted Perceptor lightly on the back as they entered the dorms. He knew the bot was feeling out of his element. He was so used to knowing what to do, but this was completely new water for them. “We’ll just have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best I suppose…” 

Perceptor smiled at Wheeljack’s reassurances. The engineer had always had the talent of putting him at ease. He’d always been the shoulder he could lean on. Nodding, he pressed the elevator button. Wheeljack was right. The most they could do was prepare and meet whatever came head on. For now, that was Cliffjumper’s locked joints. 

End chapter 44


	45. Mood Swings

Checking his chronometer for the fifth time, Sentinel angrily tapped his ped against the concrete floor, growling. Cliffjumper was late! Since the start of the bot’s second quarter they’ve always met at dorm entrance since they had the same morning class, so that he could at least look like he was doing his guard job. While Sentinel wasn’t attached to Cliffjumper by the hip, he did keep an optic on the bot. He made sure he got lunch every cycle, made sure he got home at night and he made sure he made it to all of his classes, though the bot obviously didn’t appreciate it! Sentinel had been waiting here for half a micro-cycle already! He got fed up as another klik ticked by and stomped towards the elevators, mumbling as it rose to the top floor! How dare the mini keep him waiting after all he’d done for the bot! Now they were going to be late for class! Granted Sentinel didn’t really care about the class but it was still rude! 

He was so annoyed it took him two tries to punch in Cliffjumper’s door key, but he still managed to slam the door open. “Cliffjumper!” he shouted, stomping into the apartment. The lights were off and the berthroom door was closed. Figuring the mini had probably slept in, he slammed the door open too, yelling, “Cliffjumper! What the frag are you playing at, we’re going to be late!” As he stood in the doorway, Cliffjumper turned his head to look at him. The mini was kneeling by the berth, fists clutching his sheets, head resting on the mattress. “er-what’s wrong with you?” Sentinel asked suddenly, taking in the mini’s position. 

“Do you have to make much noise?” Cliffjumper grumbled, glaring at Sentinel tiredly. His optics were dim and tired, he hadn’t slept well and his processor was aching. He certainly didn’t need that chin-face loudmouth yelling at him too. 

“D-do you realize what time it is!?” Sentinel stuttered back, surprised and a bit concerned over the mini’s appearance. “You were supposed to be up nano-cycles ago! It’s almost time for class, now let’s go!” 

“Why do you need to yell at me?” Cliffjumper asked, optics suddenly tearing up and lip quivering. He’d woken up from a nightmare, spark throbbing and swollen with fear and pain. It hurt to sit up and when he’d finally been able to get out of bed, his knee joints had locked! He’d been stuck in that position for several nano-cycles and now everything hurt! He just wanted to curl into a little ball and die! And then Sentinel had to come in there and give him some more grief!? It wasn’t fair! “I’m not feeling well, ok? I can’t help how my spark feels!” he added, a few lubricant tears slipping out, scaring the scrap out of Sentinel, who was frozen by the doorway.

Cliffjumper didn’t cry. He was tough and sarcastic, he cursed, not cried! Just a nano-klik ago he was yelling at him and now he was whimpering! “h-hey, I’m sorry” Sentinel mumbled instinctively. “I didn’t mean to make you cry, I’ve just been waiting for you for a while and—”

“And who said you had to wait for me!” Cliffjumper suddenly shouted, gripping the sheets and trying to pull himself up, angry that his legs refused to unlock “I’m not a moron or an invalid; I can get to class on my own!” cursing he managed to pull himself onto the berth, before collapsing onto it, processor throbbing. 

Sentinel could only blink as the bot did a complete 180, going from crying to yelling! Something was obviously wrong with the bot, but he wasn’t going to just take the mini yelling at him! “Well excuse me for being a good soldier!” he shouted back, “it’s not like I want to wait for you! If Kup Minor didn’t order me to I wouldn’t give you the time of day!” the instant the words left his vocalizer he regretted it. He regretted even more as Cliffjumper began to cry again, burying his faceplate in the sheets. “Scrap! I’m sorry Cliffjumper, I didn’t mean it, I was just mad! I didn’t mean it!” he said quickly, moving to the mini’s side placing a servo lightly on his shoulder. He really needed to take a page out of Optimus’ book and think before he spoke. But Cliffjumper had never acted like this before! 

“No, I’m sorry.” the mini hiccupped, “It’s nice of you check up on me and everything. I didn’t mean to yell, I’m sorry. I just don’t feel right and I’m hungry and tired and my legs are locked and I don’t know what to do!” Cliffjumper just couldn’t stop crying. He clutched the blankets. He hadn’t cried like this since he was a youngling! Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he was being stupid and silly, but the tears just kept coming out. He wanted a hug. Suddenly his spark yearned for Galvatron. He wanted Galvatron here. The bot would know what to do! He’d hug him and hold him and tease him into smiling again. But Galvatron was dead and he was on his own with a sparkling! Everything kept getting heavier, and more tears started flowing. “Oh what’s the point anyway!?” he moaned, punching the bed “I’m worthless in the classroom. I can’t do this! What in the world was I thinking ever agreeing to do this!” 

Sentinel on the other servo, was still freaking out. Figuring Cliffjumper had gone crazy or that this was a whacko part of his medical condition. He really didn’t know what to do, so he quickly brought Cliffjumper a cube of energon from the kitchen and slowly began walking back towards the front door. “It’s ok Cliffjumper, no hard feelings, I’m sorry for bothering you, you’re not feeling well so I’ll go to class and bring you some notes later alright? Make sure your drink that energon and just…rest…yeah, rest…” Sentinel said quickly. Closing the door behind him, he slumped against the wall. Primus! That was scary! Bots going crazy for no reason! Here’s hoping he never had to go through that again. Checking his chronometer again, he ran for the elevator, now he was late! 

A nano-cycle later, Cliffjumper laid back staring at the ceiling in disbelief. What the frag was wrong with him!? Crying like sparkling for no reason, and in front of Sentinel no less, for things he didn’t even bat an optic shutter at before! Whining like a rookie…He dug his faceplate into his blankets with shame and embarrassment. He didn’t think he’d ever felt more weak….but that wasn’t the worst of it…he had wanted Galvatron. His spark had called out for the bot with all it had. Turning on his side he clutched his helm, trying to push the thoughts out of his head. All this time! Five deca-cycles he’d been online again, avoiding everything that could lead to even thinking about that bot! Telling himself over and over again that it was history! But when he was feeling at his lowest, when he wanted someone by his side everything he’d felt for the bot came flooding back…he missed Galvatron. 

End chapter 45


	46. Nightmare

Cliffjumper woke up in the dark. His alarm clock was off. His sheets were tangled around his legs as he looked around the room trying to figure out why he’d suddenly come out of recharge. The sparkling had finally let him fall asleep only a few mega-cycles ago, he was way too tired to wake up for no reason. 

Shuttering his optics slowly, he kicked off his sheets. It was too warm. His head felt fuzzy. 

Sliding out of bed he headed towards the kitchen. He clicked the switch in the hallway, but the light didn’t come on. It was broken; he’d have to fix that tomorrow. 

He opened up the fridge, letting the cool air waft over him, waking him up. Suddenly a surge of electricity went down his spin, like he was being watched. He turned sharply, but no one was there. Frowning, he quickly moved to the front door, keeping an optic on the shadows of the room. The door was locked, the windows were too. 

He checked his balcony door…it was unlocked. He moved to open it, but before he could even grip the handle, a servo grabbed him by the neck and yanked him away from the door, out of sight.

He gasped as he was forced face down on the ground, the larger bot pinning him with a knee on his back and the servo on his neck. Before he could tell the slagger to get off, he heard the click of a comm. link and Sentinel spoke, “I’ve got him.” 

“What!?” Cliffjumper ground out, thrashing against the floor, reaching back to claw at the servo on his neck “Sentinel, what the slag are you playing at!” 

“Shut up CON-LOVER!” Sentinel spat back at him, pressing harder on his back, but Cliffjumper had frozen. 

“What did you call me?” Cliffjumper whispered uncertainly. Had he heard right? Sentinel had called him con-lover! That was the worst thing you could call and Autobot! It was essentially the same as traitor! 

Even though he couldn’t see it, Cliffjumper could hear Sentinel’s sneer as he spoke, “Did you really think we wouldn’t find out about your little affair with that warmongering con?”   
Cliffjumper couldn’t speak. All he could think as he stared into his floor was How did they find out? The thought kept repeating in his head like a mantra as he went over every moment since he woke up. Had he let something slip? Did someone actually go back and look through the old security footage? Or did they find something new? Had they figured out he had become pregnant before the attack? What did they really know? As though he’d read his mind, Sentinel answered, whispering slowly into his audio “We know everything.” 

Cliffjumper felt the servo release his neck, but the knee was still pressed firmly against his back. His servos were forced behind his back as Sentinel locked him into a pair of stasis cuffs. It didn’t matter, he was already paralyzed with shock. This was what he’d always feared. The lie coming out, him branded as a traitor and carried off to the stockades. It didn’t matter how much time had passed, a crime was a crime. “And now….” Sentinel said as he yanked him to his peds, “You’re going to get the punishment to deserve for choosing a Decepticon. You and that sparkling.” 

Electricity shot through Cliffjumper at the mention of the sparkling. “Wait!” He begged, just managing to lever his peds against the floor. “Don’t blame the sparkling for my mistakes! I was stupid, I’ll admit it! But the sparkling didn’t do anything wrong!” 

Sentinel yanked him loose and threw him against the wall. Cliffjumper gasped as the air was knocked out of him, but Sentinel wasn’t done. “The sparkling of a monster and a traitor…what good can come out of that?” he asked, activating his lance. 

“It doesn’t deserve any blame…” Cliffjumper tired again, eyeing the lance wearily. Everything he had was telling him to move, but he was frozen. 

“…With you and Galvatron as its parents, it doesn’t deserve anything.” Sentinel said flatly while he lined up his lance with Cliffjumper’s chassis. “Both of you can join Galvatron in the pit!” He yelled and plunged his lance straight through Cliffjumper’s spark. 

Cliffjumper sat up in his berth with a scream, clutching at his chassis, systems going haywire as he took deep desperate gulps of air and shuttered of his optics rapidly. It was only a dream, he told himself, a nightmare…it wasn’t real… 

But then, over the frantic beating of his spark in his audios, he heard someone call him. “Cliffjumper!?” He jumped as he looked at his closed door. He didn’t want to go see who it was, but apparently he didn’t have to. The call got louder. “Cliffjumper!? Cliffjumper, what’s wrong?” Galvatron asked as he opened the door wide. Cliffjumper stared at the bot, spark catching in his throat. What was he doing here!? Galvatron was in his apartment, looking just like he always did. His crest stood tall, his paint gleamed, his chassis was blank and smooth, no Decepticon brand in sight. 

“…Galvatron?” Cliffjumper whispered hoarsely, blinking rapidly. This had to be a hallucination or a dream. There wasn’t any way he could be here. Yet the bot was still there, walking towards him softly, as though too loud a step would break him. 

“Did you have a bad purge?” He asked softly. Cliffjumper didn’t even realize he had started tearing up or shaking until Galvatron wrapped his arms around him, cradling him against his broad chest as he cooed softly, nuzzling his helm. “It’s alright Cliff, it was just a dream, I’m right here…”

“No…no…it’s another dream” Cliffjumper gasped to himself, trembling, desperately trying to resist. But it felt so real…Galvatron’s warmth and strength were enveloping him, keeping him safe. Calm washed over him like a flood. Galvatron is here was the only thought that mattered; not that he wasn’t real, but that he was there! Cliffjumper stopped fighting himself. He reached to hug as much of Galvatron as he could, burying his faceplate in the larger bot’s neck. “Galvatron…!”

“Shh, it’s ok Cliff. I’m right here.” Galvatron said softly, stroking Cliffjumper’s helm. 

“I’m sorry!” Cliffjumper gasped out. “I’m sorry I let you go! I’m sorry I tried to forget! I’m sorry I left you alone! I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you!” 

Cliffjumper felt Galvatron stiffen in his arms, but he still spoke softly. “I understand Cliffjumper. Don’t worry, it won’t happen again…”

The warlord’s grip began to tighten around him, pressing Cliffjumper harder against his chest. The sound of popping paint and hot metal filled the mini’s audios before he felt something burning against his chassis. He tried to pull away but Galvatron kept him locked in his grip. “Galvatron…!” Cliffjumper gasped as he was smothered against Galvatron’s chassis, burning. “Galvatron STOP!” he yelled, clawing at the bot’s back and sides, trying to push him away. 

The harsh BANG of a blaster shot flooded the room. 

He felt Galvatron’s grip vanish, the bot’s arms sliding uselessly to his sides. As the purple bot slumped over, the mini grabbed his chassis, trying to hold him up. Cliffjumper felt his servos get warm. Pulling his hands away from the purple chest, he saw them soaked with energon. Galvatron’s chassis was bleeding…and Cliffjumper saw what had been burning him. The Decepticon brand was glowing red hot on Galvatron’s chest and when Cliffjumper looked at his own chest, he saw the same mark scorched over his Autobot symbol, an ugly back mark over the distorted red face. 

Galvatron brought his hand to the mark, weakly trying to rub away the burn, slumping over further. Cliffjumper tried to keep him sitting up, but his servos only hit air. There was a gaping hole in Galvatron’s chassis where his spark should have been. His purple paint was slowly being replaced by the grey crawling from the hole. He looked up to the bot’s face, watching the pain flood his red optics. “…Galvatron...?” he begged softly. He didn’t know what to do…! Grey was bleeding into Galvatron’s faceplate…those red optics were fading out. “Galvatron!” Cliffjumper shouted desperately, cupping the warlord’s face in his energon coated servos. His spark was shattering inside his chassis. It was shrinking into nothing. “Galvatron!” 

Galvatron didn’t respond. 

“Slaggin’ Con.” Someone said. 

Cliffjumper looked up. There. By the door, holding a blaster…was himself. 

He arms suddenly felt weighed down. He was holding the blaster, still warm from the shot. He looked up. Galvatron lay dead in front of him. He’d been the one that shot Galvatron in the back…

An alarm started blaring overhead, ringing throughout the black space. Cliffjumper dropped the blaster, looking for the source, it sounded so familiar…

He blinked and when he onlined his optics there was light. 

He was in his room, clutching a pillow for dear life, staring at his alarm as it blared angrily. He’d never felt so grateful to hear it ring.   
Sitting up, he looked around. It was morning. Sunlight was filtering through his window. His door was closed. He forced himself to let go of the pillow. Stepping out into the hallway, he tried the light. It worked. Glancing around nervously, not sure if he was really awake or not, Cliffjumper slammed his head into the wall. After a moment, he sank to his knees with a groan. That had hurt. He had to be awake. 

He sat on the floor, taking deep even breaths, the wall the only thing keeping him upright. Despite his best efforts, his breaths became haggard and his engine began to pop with hiccups as lubricant slid from his optics. Even the sparkling couldn’t comfort him. There were just too many secrets and regrets left unspoken in him. He just prayed the sparkling wouldn’t be the one to pay for them. 

End chapter 46


	47. Chassis Petting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for my poor portrayal of Skids and Mudflap. Thanks for reading anyway!

He was almost through his second quarter, just a few more mega-cycles and finals and he’d start on his third and final one. He was just over six deca-cycles into his gestation period. By now, the sparkling had tortured him with locking joints and nausea and sleeplessness and of course those wonderful temper tantrums. But by some miracle, Cliffjumper felt strangely energetic when he woke up that morning. His engine was humming and his spark was bouncing and the sparkling was as calm as a cloud on a summer day! 

Cliffjumper had an appointment in a few micro-cycles, but until then, he figured he’d relax with a nice cube on his balcony. Or at least it would have been a nice cube if his neighbors hadn’t decided to do the same. Skids and Mudflap were vets of the Second Great War, here for additional training to join an Elite Guard squad and protect a ground bridge somewhere in the galaxy. Cliffjumper didn’t know what planets they visited during the war, but they’d adopted some weird speech patterns. 

“Yo neighbor! You lookin’ tight!” Skids said, leaning out of his glass door to talk to him. 

They’d never really spoken before besides some quick introductions so Cliffjumper practically spilled his energon when he jumped at the sudden loud greeting. “ Skids! Hi!…what?” Cliffjumper managed, trying to figure out what the bot had said. 

Before Skids could answer, Mudflap leaned over him, pushing the green bot to the ground, “Yo! You peep lookin’ fiiiine” 

Shifting nervously, Cliffjumper made a show of looking at the clock tower in the distance, “Oh would you look at the time! I gotta go. Bye Skids, bye Mudflap!” with that, the red mini finished off his cube and headed back inside his apartment to grab a few datapads before heading out the door. He’d be a bit early, but that had to be better than trying to translate whatever the twins were trying to say. Primus forbid they ever pass a language class. 

As Cliffjumper went back inside his apartment, Skids and Mudflap stared after him. After a moment of silence, Mudflap said, “Yo ah never noticed 'bfoe but baby gots back” 

“ah'd hit dat.” Skids added. 

“Like you gots uh chance next ta me!” Mudflap said flippantly, shoving Skids to the side. 

“Whachu say!?” Skids yelled, tacking Mudflap back. The two bots ended up rolling around the balcony before crashing through their glass door and moving the fight inside. Needless to say, management would not be happy over the wrecked apartment. 

Cliffjumper on the other hand, was already halfway down the stairs. That was certainly a weird way to start the day, and apparently it wasn’t over. 

As he headed towards the science building, quite a few bots were giving him funny looks. Some tried to act like they weren’t staring but just as many had no shame. They stared at him like he was a picture they’d just noticed something new in. Like they’d just realized there was something interesting in him they hadn’t seen before and were trying to figure out just what it was. 

He knew his em field was a bit wide right now, probably from waking up so energized, but not enough to call attention from anyone unless they were literally pressed up against him. 

He hurried into the lab. Wheeljack and Perceptor were moving the medical berth to its usual spot. “Morning guys!” he greeted. 

“Wow Cliff! You’re glowing!” Wheeljack replied. “Did you shag somebot or something?” he added with a laugh. 

“What!?” Cliffjumper asked with a blush. He was glowing!? What the frack did that mean!? 

“He is correct.” Perceptor added, taking a good look at Cliffjumper. “You appear to be in very good health, much as one glows after an intercourse session. Even your energy signature seems bright and strong. If anything, it is flowing out into your electromagnetic field. Hmm, what could have caused this?” he asked, though mostly to himself. 

“I just woke up like this” Cliffjumper said as he pulled himself onto the medical berth. 

Frowning curiously for a moment, Perceptor put down his pad and stepped forward, placing his servos on Cliffjumper chassis. With a blink he began to rub up and down the red metal, a soft look filtering onto his faceplate, thoroughly creeping Cliffjumper out. “Uh…Percy…what’re you doing?” he asked, leaning backwards from the hands.

“I can feel the sparkling…!” the microscope whispered softly. 

“What?” Wheeljack asked before Cliffjumper could, looking over Perceptor’s shoulder. 

“I can actually feel the sparkling’s energy through Cliffjumper chassis. It’s like a soft warmth on my servos.” 

“Oh! Let me try!” Wheeljack exclaimed, sliding in besides Perceptor to place a servo on Cliff’s chassis. Both bots were larger then Cliffjumper and their two servos alone covered his entire chassis. “You’re right! I can feel it!” he said excitedly. “It’s so warm!” 

Cliffjumper blushed a bit as he averted his gaze. This was certainly…weird. He could feel the sparkling reach out for the servos, but if didn’t feel any different from any of the other times it did it. But from the way ‘Jack and Percy were petting his chassis it was apparently something special. 

A new voice interrupted them however. “Now I gotta say, this sure is a strange sight.” Perceptor, Cliffjumper and Wheeljack all turned to see Kup and Alpha Trion by the door, staring at them. Kup bit his cy-gar off with an amused smirk while Alpha Trion seemed to have lost his voice as he stared with wide optics. “What are you bots doing over there?” Kup asked lightly. 

Perceptor finally pulled his servo away from Cliffjumper chassis, grabbing his medical pad to input the new data. “The sparkling has solidified.” He explained quickly. “It is now capable of emitting an energy field of its own.”

“We can feel it!” Wheeljack added with a chuckle, rubbing both his servos across Cliffjumper’s chassis, making the bot blush even more. He was not a touchy-feely bot. The only bot he’d ever really liked touching him…was Galvatron. A few stray memories flooded into his processor; Galvatron petting his horns, hugging his chassis, tracing the seams in his thighs. 

“All righty then! That’s enough of that!” Cliffjumper said quickly, pulling his arms up to remove Wheeljack’s servos. The engineer pouted lightly but conceded, pulling his servos away from the soft energy flowing through Cliffjumper. It was such an awe-inspiring feeling. Soft and warm and solid like an actual object but till intangible and energetic! It was so alive! Wheeljack felt like his own spark was bursting with joyful energy. He’d felt the sparkling! 

“Truly?” Alpha Trion asked excitedly, regaining his voice and stepping closer, ignoring Cliffjumper’s awkwardness and leaving Kup to follow along. “Oh Cliffjumper, please, may I feel too?” he asked almost desperately. 

Cliffjumper tried to not to grimace too obviously. “uh…sure, Alpha Trion…” he managed, slowly placing his hands on the berth. The older bot stepped forward, servo stretched out. Cliffjumper flinched as he placed it on his chassis. After a moment, the older bot’s face smoothed out in wonder. He placed his other servo on the red metal, petting it softly. He really could feel the sparkling’s energy! It was bright and warm, like the Allspark itself! He could feel the life of the sparkling flowing into his servos, filling his own spark with power. 

“Amazing…” he whispered softly, optics transfixed on the mini’s chassis. 

“Really?” Kup interjected, appearing by his side suddenly, making him remove his servos instinctively, though he wanted to keep in touch with that soft energy. “Mind if I give it a try Cliff?” he asked. 

With a small grimace, Cliffjumper nodded, “may as well.” 

Kup smirked and reached out a single servo towards his chassis. The instant he touched the warm metal, a soft energy field filtered in through his palm. Offlining his optics, he felt it move and flutter, like a bird almost. It had such a soft spark beat, but was so strong with the way he reached out. He felt the warmth go straight to his spark, like a jump start. Smiling softly he onlined his optics, laughing a bit at Cliffjumper’s averted gaze and blush. The bot was clearly not used to being petted. “Not bad kid” Kup said lightly, pulling his servo away and making the mini glare at him for the comment. 

“I think that’s enough of ‘pet the mini’ for today” Cliffjumper murmured quickly, crossing his servos arms over his chassis. “I still have class after this, remember?” 

“Ah, yes, my apologies.” Perceptor spoke, stepping forward with the scanner. Much to Cliffjumper relief the medical exam continued as normal, with no more petting, though the looks from Wheeljack and Alpha Trion clearly said they weren’t happy about it. 

“So what are you guys doing here?” Cliffjumper asked lightly, trying to get the bots to quit staring at his chassis. 

“Just checking in, really” Alpha Trion answered, “seeing how you were fairing as we had a spare moment.

“The sparkling is progressing a bit faster than first anticipated, but it is perfectly healthy” Perceptor explained, adding the latest scan to the existing sequence. He was sure that someday these scans would be a medical pad on their own for other medics to look to for guidance on naturally sparked sparklings. For now, they were a testament to Cybertronian development. The sparkling had nearly tripled in size over the last few deca-cycles, a bit bigger than an energon-peach. It was still small enough to flutter freely around Cliffjumper’s spark, but soon, it would stabilize into a single place for the final stages of development. At the moment, its core had solidified from the various nutrients Cliffjumper had been eating. Now that it had a solid mass, it was able to produce and maintain a small energy field. Perceptor scanned the energy reading, running it through the database for comparable frequencies. After a few moments, a single result popped up, making his optics widen in amazement. “Astounding. The sparkling’s energy signature almost perfectly matches that of the All Spark itself.”

“What?” Alpha Trion asked in shock, moving to look at the screen. Perceptor pulled the comparing energies forward. 

“The sparkling’s energy is almost identical in pulse, strength and frequency.”

Wheeljack stepped up to the screen, head lights blinking brightly, “It’s like a mini All Spark.”

“Ok….what does that mean?” Cliffjumper interjected with a bit of concern. “Is it dangerous or anything like that?”

“Not at all. It simply means that the sparkling has a very pure energy base. If anything this will increase his health and immunity. Several health problems in Cybertronians are born from irregular spark densities and energy corruptions.” Perceptor explained. Cliffjumper release a sigh of relief, thanking Primus. “That may also be explain why we gained such pleasure out of close contact.” The microscope added, gesturing around themselves. “The energy is similar enough to the All Spark that it reaches out to our own sparks, much as the All Spark itself did, providing a feeling of comfort and peace.” 

“Will it always be like this?” Cliffjumper asked with a bit of fear. He didn’t like being petted and while he couldn’t speak for the sparkling once it was born he didn’t want to be constantly under servo while he was carrying. 

“The energy will stabilize after a few cycles, and it is possible that its energy signature will change as it grows, but we cannot be certain until it actually comes.” Perceptor said simply. “For now however, be careful. With the sparkling’s newfound solidity everything you do will effect it more directly. What you eat, how often you sleep, they all have a bigger impact now. 

“Great” Cliffjumper said flatly. “Well, I’m going to get to class, thanks again Percy, Jack. See all you guys later!” With that, the mini jumped off the medical berth and made a quick exit, much to the amusement of Kup and the disappointment of Jack and Alpha Trion, who were hoping for another pet. 

But while it didn’t take Wheeljack long to get over it, Alpha Trion continued to look after the bot long after he was gone. He had not felt such peace in eons, and to think it came from the sparkling! This could mean so much! For the sparkling to have such a power, the literal power to warm other’s sparks! To call out as the AllSpark once did! It meant something grand, something astounding. Alpha Trion could see a new age was coming and this sparkling would be at its head, he just knew it! A spark merge sparkling was not something common; it would become something great, Alpha Trion would see to that. 

End chapter 47


	48. Bad Vacation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moscardo character info here: http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Moscardo

It was the weekend before his second finals and Cliffjumper could not remember a time he felt more stressed out. Weeks of insane studying and preparation, on top of the sparkling’s tantrums and moods had to be harder than a deep level mission into the energon mines and he had gone on plenty of those to know! 

He couldn’t figure out how his brother had done it! Bumper had studied for micro-cycles every day when he was trying to get into the Science Academy. Cliffjumper could still remember him in their room, surrounded by stacks of datapads, by choice! It was insane! All Cliff wanted to do was sleep and let his processor cool down after nonstop “learning” but that wouldn’t happen for another mega-cycle! After that, he’d get a break before his third and final quarter began and the torture would start again, but still! A whole mega-cycle to relax with no studying, no assignments, nothing to memorize or learn seriously sounded like a godsend right now. 

Glancing back to his datapad, he blinked his optics to make the blurriness go away. All he got for his trouble was a jolt to the spark. The sparkling was apparently as tired of studying as he was. Figuring a small break wouldn’t hurt, he left the pad on his desk and flopped onto his couch in the living room, clicking the TV on. 

A pink bot with a visor popped onto the screen, singing and dancing with three exotic looking animal-bots on a stage in front of millions of bots. The concert was cut short by the anchors in the studio. Apparently her name was Rosanna, a pop-star bot who’s latest single “Principle of Badness” had soared to the top of the charts. Cliffjumper wasn’t much for music, but he had to admit the femme had talent. She at least knew how to woo the crowd. Ross-9, his older sister, would probably have loved her, maybe even looked up to her as an idol. Thinking about his sister really brought Cliffjumper down though. He wondered if she was still online. He hadn’t had even a scrap of contact with her after she joined the Decepticons. She probably didn’t even look like the sister he remembered anymore. 

The sparkling fluttered a bit inside his chassis as it sensed his sadness, only to jolt him in surprise as Cliffjumper’s front door slammed open. Sentinel strutted through the door, chin held high. He had been given Cliffjumper’s code in case of emergency, but the bot wasn’t above just letting himself in, though he’d been more cautious about it after his mood swings. 

“Primus Sentinel!” Cliffjumper cursed as the blue bot sat down on the armchair, “you practically gave me a spark attack!”

“You should thank me then!” Sentinel said with a smirk, “I was testing your reflexes! If I had been a Decepticon, you would already be dead!” 

Cliffjumper glared at the taller bot. It was true even if he didn’t like it. He should have been more vigilant, or at the very least reacted in a way befitting a trained soldier! He had just been distracted with his…thoughts, probably a sign that he wasn’t meant to be thinking so much. “What do you want Sentinel?”

“Ah come on, don’t be that way CJ!” Sentinel tried to placate, a clear sign that he wanted something. He continued even as Cliffjumper sent him a flat glare. “It’s finals week! I know you’re stressed up to your horns for the tests! You know as well as I do that isn’t good for your health, so I figured we’d take a little vacation for the night to just cut back and relax! And I’ve got the perfect way to do it!”

“What is it?” Cliffjumper asked dubiously. 

“We get off this stuffy old base and have some real fun over at Maccadam’s!”

“Maccadam’s?” Cliffjumper asked. He’d never heard of it. Granted he hadn’t heard much of anything outside the base walls but still, if it was so popular, some bot would have mentioned it. 

“It’s the best oil house this side of the Salvvatan system. It’s been around since the Great War!” Sentinel boasted. “er-the Second one” he added, spotting Cliffjumper’s look. “Come on! It’ll be fun, we’ll drink, meet some bots, party the night away!” He added with a flamboyant wave. 

Cliffjumper looked out his window. The sun was already setting and it was the weekend... Any bot with some semblance of a life would be out for a drink. When he was a worker in the mines he would head out with his crew after a megacycle’s hard work. But that was then and they were all hard working bread earners. Here, he and Sentinel were students. “Have you ever even drunk before?” Cliffjumper asked. Sentinel may look like a fully grown bot, but he was still only a few ano-cycles old. Cliffjumper seriously doubted the bot had many opportunities to drink on the base, let alone build up some resistance. 

“Of course I have!” Sentinel said back, affronted, but then he remembered how old Cliffjumper really was. It was easy to forget that Cliffjumper had centuries on him, since the mini was so new to everything around him. Well, he’d prove to the bot that he was just as mature as he was! “Come on let’s go!”

Cliffjumper mulled it over. It would be nice to get off the base and see how things had changed. That curiosity he had first felt when he looked out that window into the city hadn’t faded, it had just been placed on the backburner for a while. Now was the perfect chance to pick it up again. “Well…alright.”

Sentinel let out a loud whoop and grabbed his arm. Cliffjumper just managed to turn off the television before he was dragged out the door and into the night. 

There were actually quite a few students was out and about, taking a break from their mad studying. They littered the quad in droves, hanging out by the energon fountains, the convenience store and the tables, though more than a few were surrounded by datapads instead of friends. 

“How are we going to get off base?” Cliffjumper asked. It shouldn’t be that hard. With all the students out and about, no one would question two more. On top of that, even if some bot spotted them, it was unlikely they would rat them out. Herd mentality and all that. 

“We’re gonna climb the gate near the back entrance.” Sentinel explained, sounding very proud of the plan, like he was the first to have thought of it. At least it was simple. After sneaking past several groups of teachers and dancing around a few of the more obvious security cameras, they made it to the only chain link fence around the base. The buildings closest to it were just warehouses, which was probably the only reason why the fence was their only protection. Behind the fence was a small stretch of land that formed the back yard for an apartment complex. Several of the tenants had their lights on. Cliffjumper could even spot one or two bots on their balconies. He doubted they would pay two students much attention. 

He remembered as a teenager, sneaking about had seemed like the greatest crime in the world. Like everyone was watching and knew you were doing something you weren’t supposed to. When he became the adult he realized bots really didn’t care. He could tell when a young bot was sneaking around, but aside from some amusement, it wasn’t that big a deal. He seriously doubted they meant any harm and were probably just looking for a good time with their friends. Sentinel was acting just like those young bots, and he himself when he was their age…relatively speaking. The blue chinned bot was looking around for witnesses, ducking behind every corner. When they reached the fence he had crouched down by the closest building. 

“On three, I’ll give you a boost over ok?” Sentinel asked, mimicking the motion with his servos. Though a bit peeved at the thought of needing help, Cliffjumper simply nodded and readied himself, the sparkling fluttering with excitement over the adventure. The fence was only a few meters high. He used to jump several stories out of broken buildings. It was hardly a daunting fall. “One…two…three!” Cliffjumper jumped onto Sentinel’s folded servos as the bot essentially threw him over the wall. Cliffjumper was a light bot by design, and Sentinel was pretty strong when he wanted to be, the mini flew several feet over the top of the gate, landing perfectly on the other side. He could feel the sparkling’s delight at the jump as Sentinel climbed over. As soon as his peds touched the ground, they made a mad dash for the street. If any of those balcony bots were watching, Cliffjumper was pretty sure they were getting a good laugh out of watching them. 

He followed Sentinel past several streets and buildings, taking in the sights. It was hard to believe that that rubble infested wasteland that surrounded their original base had become this thriving city. It was even grander than the pre-war Praxis, Kaon and Iacon. Everything glowed with light and bots filled the streets despite the late micro-cycle. The farther away they got from the base the more people they saw. The sparkling was giddy with excitement over this, curious like never before and Cliffjumper couldn’t help but share his awe. It was walking through the city with all of the bots and the building that really told him the war was over. On base it was easy to forget that they weren’t actively fighting a war but preparing for it if it ever happened. But the bots on the streets could walk without fear for their lives! The peace was really here…

Eventually, the base vanished behind the towering skyscrapers. But none of the neon lights or bright signs called out “Maccadam’s”

“Are you sure you know the way Sentinel?” Cliffjumper asked. He had been so busy taking in the sights he hadn’t bothered to keep track of where they were going. 

“Don’t worry about it” Sentinel brushed off, “I’ve done this a thousand times.” While Cliffjumper doubted the bot had even done it a dozen times, he hoped he had at least done it once, or Primus knows how lost they’d get. 

After several more kliks of wandering around, getting further and further away from the populated part of the city, they ended up in what was obviously the shady part of town. The streets were empty and several buildings were abandoned. Sentinel finally stopped to catch his bearings on under the light of an old street corner. While Sentinel had gone off base before, he had never actually gone to Maccadam’s…it was on the edges of town and he had never strayed far from the center of the city. 

“A thousand times Sentinel?” Cliffjumper asked, taking in the area. This was the place people bots got mugged, the place you couldn’t afford to let your guard down. Cliffjumper felt the sparkling hug itself closer to his spark in concern. He really wished he had a blaster right now, heck, he’d settle for stingers! He just didn’t like having his hands empty, even if he could resort to pulling them into fists. 

“It’s been a while ok?” Sentinel huffed, looking around. He didn’t recognize this place and certainly didn’t want to stay long. “Come on, let’s head back-” he said swiftly. He figured he must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. As they turned though, they heard a soft crunch behind them. Sentinel flinched at the noise and turned so fast he almost fell over. Cliffjumper simply readied his firsts and turned to face the greasy bot that slunk out of the shadows. The bot had a muddy brown and rust orange paint job, with a mold that obviously wasn’t standard anymore. 

He gave the two a slimy smile, “hey there boys! How you doin’? Name’s Rattletrap” He glanced around, not like he was looking for friends but witnesses. Apparently finding none, he continued with a suggestive wink of his optic “you-uh- lookin’ for somethin’ special?”

Cliffjumper groaned as he rolled his optics and dropped his fists. It was one of those bots. There was one in every town, the bot with a finger in every aluminum-pie, legal or not, the weasel-bot, or in this case the turbo-rat. “Thanks, but no.” Cliffjumper said firmly. This wasn’t the kind of bot you wanted as a friend; even the sparkling seemed to recoil from him. “Come on.” he said to Sentinel, grabbing him by the arm. 

“Hey! Hold on a second!” Sentinel protested, using his weight to stay put and turn to the bot. “You know the way to Maccadam’s?” Cliffjumper’s servo met his faceplate. Sentinel really was a rookie. 

“Yeah, yeah I know the way…” Rattletrap said with a smirk, he knew a sucker when he saw one. The mini may have had more experience but the chin-face was obviously fresh from the assembly line. “I may even be able to-uh-lead you there, with the right…motivation.”

Cliffjumper stepped in before Sentinel could open his mouth again, “We don’t have any creds, codes or mods. Either point the way or beat it.”

Rattletrap huffed at the bot. He wasn’t going to get anything out of the blue one with the midget by his side. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t get something from him another time. Never shut the door on a future customer. He pointed down the street, “Maccadam’s a few blocks down.” Cliffjumper nodded his thanks and grabbed Sentinel by the arm, tugging him along. Rattletrap watched the two for a second before vanishing into an ally, there were other customers to find. 

Once they were out of the bots range, Sentinel pulled his arm free. He surely didn’t appreciate being treated like a single-ano by the mini, “what was that all about!?”

“The guy was a turbo-rat!” Cliffjumper said, like that explained everything. When Sentinel gave him a blank glare he added, “He sells and barters illegal and legal materials! He’s like the telephone operator of the underworld. Scum, ok? Don’t get involved with them if you don’t have to.” 

Continuing along the road, he spotted a small crowd and some bright lights up ahead. Sentinel followed close behind, “If that were true, why hasn’t he been arrested or something?” he asked with a pout. Cliffjumper just shook his head. The rookie was still so innocent, so naïve. 

“Probably because he’s a coward. Cowards work both ways, and will help the cops for some handouts or slack. Better a slimy coward than a king pin.” He said simply, turning the corner. A short building, only two stories tall stood amongst the towers, neon lights blinking brightly in the night, a flood of bots heading in and out of its doors as the music blared. “At least he wasn’t a liar. There’s Maccadam’s!”

They had made it alive. The sparkling fluttered around his spark in excitement. Come to think of it…he didn’t know what kind of effect oil would have on the sparkling. With the average bot, oil was thicker and less efficient than energon. It could keep a bot going for a while but eventually it would clog up their systems and they’d lose performance quality. That was because oil wasn’t a pure as energon, even in its purest state. Crude oil was thick and potent enough to overcharge bots, similar to the way overly purified energon became Highgrade. It just took more oil to reach the high-grade buzz. Getting overcharged basically meant your processor slowed down and your systems sped up. It didn’t sound like the best combination for the carrying bot, especially after what preceptor told him about everything he ate and did effecting the sparkling...Overcharged sparkling sounded really, really bad. 

As the two entered the building and milled past the dancing pit in the center towards the bar, Cliffjumper decided he’d just stick to regular energon. It’d take a lot of fun out of the night, but he didn’t want to take the chance of endangering the sparkling…besides, somebot had to make sure Sentinel made it home without wrecking. The two took seats at the counter, Sentinel reading the list of energon and oil with deep concentration. Cliffjumper spared it a glance, but it was basically the same as it had always been, energon and oil. He wasn’t even that surprised that some pre-war brands were still up and running, oil always sold. 

After Sentinel had studied the list for five minutes, Cliffjumper tapped the bar. Catching the bartender’s attention, he called out “One regular energon and a McGuirkess for my friend.” The big bot nodded and Cliffjumper turned to look out at the dance pit. There was a DJ on stage, a red bot with white headphones pumping out music for his loving audience to dance to. On the second story, Cliffjumper could just spot the balcony and more tables. A few groups mingled around the room, drinks in their servos as they chatted over the music. 

The clack of a cube landing on the bar made him turn around. He nodded his thanks to the barkeep as he grabbed his cube. Sentinel picked up his own glass of oil with some apprehension. He turned to Cliffjumper, spotting his regular cube, “You aren’t going to drink?”

“Medical condition, remember?” Cliffjumper replied. Sentinel nodded and turned back to his glass. Apparently growing some bearings, he grabbed the cube and took a big swig of the dark liquid. While Sentinel had probably drunk oil before, for maintenance or something, he had obviously never tasted crude oil. He made a sour face before forcing himself to swallow it. “Tastes like slag right?” Cliffjumper said with a small laugh. “Just give it a few glasses.” He said with a wave. 

Sentinel looked a bit dejected but took another swig anyway. The bot in the seat next to Cliffjumper left with his drinks and the barkeep instantly appeared to wipe it down. He was a minibot, or at least the same model, but he was way broader, build for heavy lifting or in a bar, Cliffjumper guessed, security. “Haven’t seen you before.” He said simply. 

Cliffjumper smirked back, “Haven’t seen you either. You Maccadam?”

The bot smirked back. He liked a customer with spark, more often than not he just listened to bot’s woes. “Nah, names Moscardo. Maccadam’s retired. Out seeing the universe.”  
Cliffjumper laughed into his energon. “Well from what I’ve heard about this place, he’s certainly earned it.”

“It doesn’t taste so bad now” Sentinel said beside him, putting down an empty oil glass with a heavy clack on the table. “Barkeep! Another!” 

Moscardo rolled his optics as he went to get the kid another glass. He already knew the type. Kids from the Academy were some of his most frequent customers. Their first times were always the same. He’d probably end up calling the cops tonight with this lightweight on the loose. Hopefully his sober friend would keep him out of trouble though. Bringing back the oil, he placed in in front of the bot. He was already pink in the face, another glass would have him slumped against the bar. Ah well, so long as he didn’t purge. All bots had to experience a hangover at some point in their lives. Moscardo personally thought the earlier the better. 

As Sentinel drank his second, and a few klicks later, his third McGuirkess, Moscardo and Cliffjumper talked about the weather, politics, and music. From what Cliffjumper gathered, the skies were clear, the people were well governed and Blaster was the bot to go to for music. Before they could get to sports though and the top lobbing champs, Sentinel slumped against his shoulder before leaping up with his drink in her servo and slurring out, “I’m gonna dance!”

Knowing that couldn’t end well, he sent Moscardo a look, slapped some credits on the bar and followed the fumbling Sentinel, stopping him just before he reached the dance pit. “Whoa there Sentinel! I think we’ve had enough fun for the night. Let’s head back to base ok?”

“You wanna dance to Clip-er!-Cliff?” Sentinel asked, completely ignoring him, “Ok! Let’s go!” Sentinel grabbed his servos in each of his and started spinning in some demented waltz. He began to spin faster and faster, making Cliffjumper dizzy before letting go. Cliff flew back but just managed to grab onto the bar before falling on his aft, though his head kept spinning. Sentinel however was not as lucky. He slammed into the back of a huge burgundy bot, spilling what was left of his oil over his head and soaking the other guy. 

“Hey! Bang!” shouted the large bot as Sentinel’s drink dribbled down his faceplate, making him drop his own drink. “Pow! What do you think you’re doing!?” he hollered, turning around and knocking Sentinel over with the large cannon projecting out of his chassis. The blue bot seemed to have trouble telling which way was up. 

Cliffjumper stepped forward, trying to keep his vision straight as he held his hands out in appeasement. “Sorry about that, my friend’s a bit of a lightweight.” He explained, ignoring Sentinel’s disgruntled ‘hey!’ behind him. “He’s had a bit too much.” He continued, but the bot was obviously fragged off. 

The bot loomed over him, sticking his cannon in his face. Cliffjumper felt his temper flare a bit as the bot tried to make him back down. The bot suddenly gutted forward, forcing Cliff to get out of his way of get a mouth full of cannon. “Out of the way small fry! Bam!” he shouted, reaching for Sentinel. Cliffjumper stepped forward again, kicking the cannon out of the way and making the bot follow it. The momentum and larger size worked against him and he ended up crashing into a table. 

“Back off!” Cliffjumper said forcefully. His fists were already tingling for a brawl, but his spark was sinking. The sparkling was sending out panicked little jolts. He couldn’t fight while carrying! That would have defeated the entire purpose of him going into stasis and studying for an office job. “Sentinel!” he yelled, turning towards the other bot, who had at least managed to sit up. “Pull yourself together! We’re leaving!” he shouted, helping the bot to his peds. It was a pointless effort as the cannon-bot got up and charged at them with a mighty roar. Cliffjumper had to push Sentinel out of the way to avoid getting smashed. The bot landed on his chin and was out like a light. Cliffjumper, on the other servo, wasn’t so lucky. The bot managed to clip his shoulder with that stupid jutting cannon of his. “Watch it!” he growled at the bot. The sparkling was downright terrified now, swimming around his spark in frantic little circles. 

The bar’s crowd had gathered around them, locking them into a tight circle. Moscardo had vanished from the bar, probably calling the cops. Cliffjumper wasn’t going to enjoy that conversation but at least now he had a plan. All he had to do was avoid the bot’s attacks until the copper bots got there.   
The bot sent out another yell and charged again. Cliffjumper used his cannon as a stepping stone to leap over his head and land a kick to his back. The bot roared at him from the floor, “Wam! Pow! Little coward! Fight me!”

Cliffjumper’s temper really burned with that one. “Come and say that to my faceplate you scraphead!” he shouted, putting up his fists and scowling. The sparkling fluttered nervously in his chassis. He promised he wouldn’t take a hit…and ironically enough, he didn’t. 

Cliffjumper didn’t hear the sirens coming over the hubble of the crowd, but he knew the cops had arrived when every cheering bot suddenly paid their tab and split. The only bots left were him, Sentinel, the waitress rolling around the tables to pick up the tabs, Moscardo and the numbskull still panting like an angry petro-bull. 

“Honestly Warpath” said a new voice as he entered the pub, “can’t I go a single mega-cycle without having to see your ugly mug?” Cliffjumper looked towards the door; the new bot was about the size of an average bot, black and red with green wings and lights. There were obviously some vorns on him, the bot walked the confidence of someone that’s been around the block a hundred times, someone who knew all the tricks in the trade. Even with that experience, the sarcasm and the new paintjob. Cliffjumper recognized that voice. 

“No way…” Cliffjumper whispered in shock when the bot stopped to loom over Warpath. “Sideswipe!?” 

Sideswipe spared him a glance and almost jumped back. Looking again he shuttered his optics…twice, but the image didn’t change. “Cliffjumper…?!”

“You know this bot!?” Warpath asked from his place on the floor. 

“We go way back” Cliffjumper said with a smirk at Sideswipe, thinking of the prank wars and the games of ‘toss the minibot,’ “gotta say though, I never saw this one coming.”

“Can’t say I did either” Sideswipe replied with a worn-out smile. “I thought you’d blinked out hothead.” He never thought he’d see Cliffjumper again. During the old war, he’d been just as shocked and angry as any bot when he heard about the attack on the red mini. He’d gone out to battle with a vengeance but they were never told what happened. The last sight he had of the bot was his servo hanging limp from a medical berth as he was rushed past him in the hallway towards the medical ward. After that it was like Cliffjumper had just vanished. It took a long time for Sideswipe to get over it. To accept that the bot he could always bet on to walk out of the medical ward ready to shoot some cons was…gone. Or so he thought, because here, somehow, he stood before him. 

“You could say that” Cliffjumper replied, actually pretty glad to meet up with the bot again. 

“Why don’t you tell me about it” Sideswipe replied, stepping over Warpath and picking up a seat from himself from the floor. “I’ll let you off this time Warpath, on account of my pal here coming back from the dead, but don’t think I’ll do it again.” he said harshly, glaring at the bot. Warpath, amazingly enough, didn’t push his luck. With a final glare at Cliffjumper and the out cold Sentinel, he fled out the door. Cliffjumper spared Sentinel a glance before pulling up a chair for himself. “So, what happened short-stuff? Last time I saw you, you were a bloody pile of scrap heading for the med bay, apparently on a one way trip.”

“The situation got complicated.” Cliffjumper replied simply, “I was put into stasis.”

“What does ‘complicated’ mean?” Sideswipe asked. 

Cliffjumper grinned, the bot knew all the questions to ask, he really was a cop, though he’d probably been on the other end of the questions more often than not. “You’ll find out later.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Sideswipe said with a look. 

Cliffjumper simply nodded. It was going to be hard to avoid the issue when the sparkling was born, but he still had time before then. “So that’s what I’ve been doing for the last few millennia or so. How about you?”

“I’ve been on the force for almost 30,000 steller cycles now. Senior Investigator.” Sideswipe said with a shrug. 

“Hound told me you’d become an enforcer. I just couldn’t believe it!” Cliffjumper said with some awe. 

Sideswipe could only smile. The irony wasn’t lost on him, considering what he’d been like as teenager. If someone had told him back then that he’d be an enforcer he probably would have laughed in their face, but he’d been through a lot in two wars. He was more than tired. Now he was counting down the days till retirement on a nice energon farm. “So you’ve met up with Hound? How long you been online?”

“A few deca-cycles now. I’m stuck at the Academy, Hound ended up being one of my professors” Cliffjumper said with a roll of his optics. 

Sideswipe let out a hearty chuckle. “So you’re a student! Breaking a few rules aren’t you?” he teased. Students were technically restricted to base grounds, but he knew they snuck off base. So long as they didn’t cause him any grief, he let it slide. Cliff was in a fight and while that usually went against his idea of ‘staying out of trouble’ he couldn’t hold it against the bot, after all, it was Cliffjumper! The bot’s name was basically synonymous with trouble. “Trying to give me some grief? Is this payback?” he asked jokingly. He certainly deserved it if it was, though he’d never admit it. 

“Hey, I saved you some hassle” Cliffjumper countered, pointing at Sentinel’s prone form on the ground. “If I let that kid out on his own, you would have been stuck dragging him back to base! Instead, that wonderful privilege falls to me” he said with an optic role. 

Sideswipe laughed, “Trust me, I’ve dragged enough Academy bots back to base to know how much fun it is. Really makes my energon farm look nice.”

“You’ve got an enegon farm?” Cliffjumper asked curiously. He’d learned about them in class. After the wars had sucked the energon mines on this planet (and the planets next door) dry, Cybertronians developed ways to farm energon. It was a lot of technical stuff, but basically, energon crystals were harvested and grown, then melted or ground down to make energon. There were thousands of energon farms on the planet now, and apparently one was Sideswipe’s.

“A small one, just waiting for me to retire.” 

“I never thought I’d hear you talk about retirement” Cliffjumper said with a soft look. The Sideswipe he remembered was always…young. He was hopeful and strong and ready to meet anything that came his way head on. The bot before him was worn out, tired and cynical. “Your time on the force been tough?”

“It had its highlights” Sideswipe said softly, a few good memories popping up, “but I’ve seen a lot of the world’s underbelly during that time and now…well now I just want to relax. I don’t want to worry about smugglers or cons or rats anymore.”

“Can’t blame you” Cliffjumper said simply. It did sound nice to get away from everything. “What about your brother?” he asked, changing the subject. 

“Sunny’s doing great actually” Sidswipe answered, “He finally got that stick out of his aft after the wars.” Sunstreaker had always had a hair trigger temper, even worse than Cliffjumper. He wasn’t a people-bot, though he liked being praised. When the wars ended, he was finally able to get back to his art and that calmed him like no program or fight ever could. He was finally able to get rid of that anger. “He’s been painting murals, designing statues and custom designing bots ever since.” 

“That’s great” Cliffjumper replied, glad that the twin was doing ok. He had respected the bot as a warrior and was glad the bot had ended up doing something he really enjoyed. 

A noise interrupted them before they could continue their conversation. Sentinel groaned and picked himself off the floor. “What happened…?” he asked groggily, rubbing his helm. 

“Looks like it’s time to make good on that hassle saving.” Sideswipe said with a smirk. Cliffjumper simply glared at him as he went over to help Sentinel stand up. The bot was still a bit overcharged and wobbly on his peds. Leaning heavily on Cliffjumper though, he was able to walk straight...sort of. “Catch you later hothead!” Sideswipe called out as the two bots lumbered out the door. 

“See ya Sides” Cliffjumper said with a backwards wave. The mini herded Sentinel onto the street, spotting a sign for the base in the distance. It was going to be a long walk back, but the night had defiantly turned out better than expected. Though he doubted Sentinel would feel that way in the morning. 

End chapter 48


	49. Grounded

Cliffjumper had to drag Sentinel’s fat aft back to base through the front door…literally. Sentinel had passed out about halfway through the trip; just dropped like a stone on the street. It took Cliffjumper a good 20 klicks to pick him up and start walking again. One thing for sure was that Sentinel’s peds were going to need some major detailing with how they were dragged across the floor. 

Cliffjumper’s knees were shaking when the front gate to the base finally came into view. He was even tempted to just dump Sentinel by the door and let someone else deal with him…but that would be wrong…probably. So instead, he got to scan his ID for entry and meet up with the wonderful guys from entrance security. Then they got to spend a good micro-cycle on identity verification and disciplinary action for going off base, and in Sentinel’s case, intoxication. Since it was their first offence though, they would only get a mega-cycle of heavy cleaning duty and grunt work. Comparing that to the brig back in Cliffjumper’s day, he didn’t suppose it was that bad…and then Perceptor and Wheeljack and Alpha Trion showed up…

Cliffjumper hadn’t felt this cornered since he was a youngling, when his parents would scold him for fighting with his sister or running off too far with the neighbor kids. He sat on an examination table as Perceptor checked over him, avoiding the gaze of the other bots around him. Sentinel had been taken to medical for detox and since Cliffjumper was sober, he got the lucky job of explaining just what the frag they were doing off base…he just wasn’t expecting the huge audience. “Now is it really fair to gang up on a grown bot like this?” He asked hesitantly, trying to make it sound like a joke without losing the seriousness of the question. He was a grown mech after all, he’d gone drinking hundreds of times before. 

“It is beyond fair in your condition!” Wheeljack scolded, crossing his arms over his chassis. He knew Cliffjumper could be rash and irresponsible, but he hadn’t though the mini would go this far! “What were you thinking, going out drinking!? After what we told you about the sparkling being effected by what you ate!” 

“I didn’t drink, Jack!” Cliffjumper protested as Preceptor scanned him, “Not even a shot of oil! I got regular energon the entire time, I swear! I’m not that stupid!” 

Wheeljack huffed angrily at the mini, remaining silent even if he did give the mini some inner credit. At least he didn’t drink. 

“It was still extremely irresponsible and dangerous for you to sneak off base Cliffjumper.” Alpha Trion said, obviously ruffled. “What if something had happened?” The old bot’s spark had practically flown out of his chassis when he got the call that the mini had vanished from base. He practically flew over when he learned the bot was there. And he was far from blind to the scuffs on the bots paint and the dent in his shoulder! 

“Alpha Trion, all due respect, really, but I’m a seasoned warrior.” Cliffjumper huffed. It was probably best not to mention that he had gotten in a fight at the bar, he could blame the dent on Sentinel. “And before that I was a miner!” 

“There are too many factors” Perceptor intoned as he inputted the results into his medical pad. The microscope was handling the situation very well. It was times like these he was glad he deleted most of his personality components. Besides, he had expected something like this to occur eventually. Cliffjumper was not a bot of patience, even the sparkling made him act like one. But Perceptor figured Cliffjumper would get into a fight on campus or unleash that firey temper of his. He had not expected the bot to sneak off base and couldn’t help adding, “Even with your skills in battle you lack sufficient experience in this day and age. You could have been seriously hurt.” He checked the dent in the mini’s shoulder. It was grazing at best and the rest of his injuries were cosmetic. He would have to set up a date to upgrade Cliffjumper with stingers, or make him a blaster or something. The bot could not be allowed to go around unarmed. 

“Besides,” Alpha Trion rumbled, “here and now you are a student and that means adhering to the rules set out for students. You did not have the permission to leave base grounds.” 

“I didn’t mean any harm” Cliffjumper grumbled, “I just wanted to get some fresh air and relax a bit…”

Alpha Trion let out a heavy sigh as he rubbed his processor, “I understand this has been a difficult and stressful time for you Cliffjumper, and I praise you for handling it so well, but I don’t think you understand just how much risk you are in. If something were to happen to you, how would we know? And what if we were unable to arrive in time to help you? Iacon is just like any other metropolis, it has its dark side. It is not safe to vanish from everybot’s sight Cliffjumper…” 

Cliffjumper bit his glossa as that last statement rolled over in his head. The old bot did have a point…the last time he vanished from any Autobot’s sight…he’d met Galvatron. The bot wasn’t exactly safe…bit he wasn’t completely dangerous either. “I’m sorry Alpha Trion…” Cliffjumper mumbled softly. He didn’t like having to apologize for such a small thing, but he did worry the bots. “It won’t happen again.” he added for good measure. 

“I can make sure of that.” A new voice called out. Cliffjumper shifted his gaze to the door, where a tall dark teal and grey bot stood. Considering he was allowed into the room, Cliffjumper figured he was important. 

“Cliffjumper, this is Highbrow Prime, Head of Cybertronian Intelligence.” Alpha Trion introduced. 

Cliffjumper saluted “Sir.” It looked like his guess was right. He hadn’t met Highbrow, but he’d heard of him in his numerous Intel Classes. The Prime taught several of the classes himself, but he taught on an ano-cycle rotation, meaning he only taught every other ano-cycle, and Cliff had caught him on an off ano-cycle. 

Highbrow nodded in greeting. “Good to meet you Cliffjumper. I’ve heard quite a bit about you.” He added, looking the mini up and down. Cliffjumper forced himself to sit still under the gaze. 

“It was Highbrow that alerted us when you returned to base.” Perceptor mentioned as he packed away his tools. Aside from some sore cables and the mini’s cuffed shoulder, Cliffjumper was fine. Perceptor was positive however, that Cliffjumper’s legs would be locked again tomorrow. “He’s alright.” he said to the others.   
Alpha Trion nodded to the microscope in thanks before turning back to Cliffjumper. “I’ve asked him to keep an optic on you.” He said, motioning to HighBrow. 

Cliffjumper smothered a growl. He didn’t need to be babysat! But he couldn’t very well protest right here! Alpha Trion was his superior and HighBrow would be his boss once he joined the Intel department for work. Challenging either one would land him on their bad sides, permanently. Cliffjumper gritted his denta as he nodded stiffly. He’d play nice for now but this was no way in the pit this was going to last forever! He’d never been much for promotions, but if it meant getting a sense of control over his own life back, he work for one. 

“You are confined to base, just as all other students are until you graduate properly Cliffjumper. Do you understand?” Alpha Trion said sternly.   
Cliffjumper grimaced but nodded, noting the look Highbrow was giving him. The bot was obviously saying ‘I’ll be watching you.’   
“Good. Now, if Perceptor and Wheeljack are finished with their examination, you may return to your dorm.” 

The two science bots nodded in confirmation, giving Cliffjumper the ok. The mini hopped off the examination table and saluted the bots goodbye. Giving a small wave to the security bots in the office, who awkwardly returned the gesture, he headed home, cursing his luck all the way. He hadn’t really planned to meet HighBrow until he started work. He hadn’t wanted to meet the bot sooner. He wanted to keep under the radar and here he just thrust himself in front of it. Scrap. He huffed all the way home. 

Highbrow spared Alpha Trion and the bots a goodbye nod as he headed on his own way, back to the office, sparing the mini a moment of thought. Alpha Trion had told him a lot about the mini, including his condition. Highbrow himself was extremely skeptical about the whole thing. A sparkling like that…conceived in those circumstances…it wasn’t normal. There was no way to predict how it would grow, what it would do, or how it’d turn out. It’s coding was already against it. But Alpha Trion was adamant about it being born safe. Highbrow would just have to make sure they were ready to handle whatever came out, good or bad. He’d have to be ready, considering he’d be working with the bot for the foreseeable future. He could only hope the mini learned enough to at least be a decent secretary. 

Perceptor, Alpha Trion, and Wheeljack meanwhile, all let out a sigh of relief. Cliffjumper and the sparkling were fine. And the gestation period would only last three more deca-cycles. Granted they would be a difficult three deca-cycles, but after that, things were looking like much smoother sailing. 

End chapter 49


	50. Interrogated Again

Outside the window, the campus was abuzz with activity. Students headed to their new classes as the clock’s bells faded into the background. From his office on the third floor of the Organic science building, Hound could spot the occasional lost student as they walked around in circles or ran across campus. Out of the crowd, heading towards the first floor of the building, Hound spotted Cliffjumper. This was the mini’s third and final quarter. When their class together was over, Hound had decided to tell something very important to the bot. He’d been avoiding it ever since they had met up again, telling himself it wasn’t the right time, that it didn’t matter anymore anyway…but it did matter. 

Hound had been hiding this secret for nearly as long as Cliffjumper had been in stasis, the secret of his interrogation during the first Great War…

\---

It had been a few deca-cycles after Cliffjumper had been attacked and had vanished from the face of Cybertron; Hound and every other bot that tried to find out what happened were met with the same answer, “there were complications in his condition.” Reading between the lines, they all figured he was offline. That the attack had been too brutal and too harsh even for their toughest mini and he’d joined the Well. Life went on. Bots added Cliffjumper’s name to their vengeance lists, though they didn’t have a con to target for it. The war kept going but many bots felt Cliffjumper’s absence. The twins, the minis…Hound in particular was more than aware that his little hot-tempered scouting partner wasn’t there anymore. 

He had been out on one of his post battle scouting missions, looking for survivors and supplies when it had happened. He usually had another bot to watch his back, but the battle had been hard that time and most bots were in the infirmary or on double shifts. The only reason he had been allowed to go out was because it was standard procedure and quite a few bots were still missing. He’d already found several offline and was trying to lift a piece of rubble off another to get a look at their faceplate when he was ambushed from the air. He hadn’t heard or seen it coming, but one astro-second he was looking at the rubble and the next he was kissing the pavement. A huge figure had basically tackled him to the ground. While he lay there, senseless and pretty sure his nose ridge was broken, the bot bashed him upside the head and knocked him offline. 

He came online several nano-cycles later, blindfolded and tied to a chair. It was cold and damp, like he was underground and when he called out, the noise seemed to echo on for miles. Hound figured he was in the old subway tunnels or an underground bunker. Whatever the case was, he wasn’t alone. 

“Awake at last Autobot?” A voice asked from the darkness. Hound gave himself a crick in the neck trying to figure out just where the voice was coming from, but just as his voice echoed around the room, so did the mystery bot’s. 

“Are you a Decepticon?” Hound replied trying to twist the chair around, but it was bolted to the floor. 

“…Yes.” The voice answered. 

“What do you want?” Hound asked, angry and more than a bit afraid. “I don’t have security or Intel—”

“No, no, nothing like that.” The bot replied. Hound’s processor instantly filtered through other things the bot could possibly want. Was it torture for sport? Was he going to be raped too? An image of Mirage popped into his head. He and the noble had been friends for vorns now. He loved the bot even though he was positive Mirage only saw him as a friend or brother. What if he died here? What if he never told Mirage how much he cared about him!? So many horrible scenarios rushed through his mind he almost stalled when he heard the bot say, “I want to know about your standard medical procedure.”

“…What?” Hound asked in shock. 

“What happens to an Autobot when they’re attacked or severely injured?” 

Hound was boggled. Why would a Decepticon possibly want to know that? In what way was that type of information useful? Was Decepticon medical procedure different? Did he know an injured Autobot? Was he trying to find out if they’d died or something? Was he looking for one…? Hound’ s spark caught in his throat. “Why do you want to know…?”

“…just answer the question.” The bot growled, making Hound’s spark shudder inside his chassis. 

“…nothing happens…” he replied, “All injured bots go to medical…”

“What if the attack was very…severe? What if there were special circumstances or…complications?”

“It doesn’t matter how serious or how minor, he’d go to medical…” Hound repeated, but then stopped. What had the bot asked? He had said…complications…just like the medical officers had said when he asked about Cliffjumper…the ties formed in his processor. This bot, this Decepticon was looking for someone. Someone who’d been attacked recently…someone who’d vanished from sight without warning, “…Are you the one that attacked Cliffjumper…?” he asked, swallowing thickly.

Silence flooded the room, thick and heavy. Hound could hear his own spark beating in his chassis, his muscles tensed as he waited for the bot’s answer. 

“…Where is he?”

Rage filled Hound. Now Hound didn’t lose his temper often, but if there was one thing that would set him off it was messing with his friends. He thrashed against his binds, trying to rip the chair out of the ground. “You fragger!” he shouted in rage. “Why should I tell you slag after what you did!?” 

“I just want to know if he’s alright!” the bot replied, a hint of desperation filtering in his voice, but Hound ignored it. 

“You fragging raped him! Of course he isn’t alright!” He spat back. 

“I don’t mean him any harm, Hound correct? I know you’re one of his friends. Please…I just want to know how he is…”

“F-frag you!” Hound stuttered as he listened to the bots pleads. How in the frag did he know he was friends with Cliffjumper!? How could he have possibly known that!?...had…Had he been watching them? Cliffjumper and Hound had been one of the top scouting teams, making the most runs, but was that enough to guess at a friendship? 

A claw suddenly gripped his throat. The servo was huge! He could feel the power vibrating through the arm. This bot could snap his neck in an instant. The bot leaned close to him, whispering into his audio, “Don’t make me use force…just tell me if he’s alive…” with a single warning grip, the bot pulled his hand away, letting Hound breath again. This bot! Why did he want to know about Cliffjumper? Why would he go so far just to learn if he was alive or not? Did he want to rape him again!?

The scout bowed his helm, processor throbbing. He could feel his servos trembling in their binds. “…he’s gone…” Hound answered, voice cracking. “You can’t hurt him anymore you monster…no one can…” 

The bot had gone silent after that. A cold air filtered between them, like the feel of a dying bot, empty and heavy. Hound didn’t speak. He wracked his processor trying to figure out how the Con could have known that he was friends with Cliffjumper. It wasn’t like he’d just asked the mini! Could it have been from the attack? He’d spark raped him, information could have been taken from Cliffjumper’s processor during the uplink. Could this bot be that cruel? Could he have plundered Cliffjumper’s processor at the same time he plundered his spark? He didn’t want to ask. 

Then he heard something. The bot was…shifting around, like he was pacing around the room. He grumbled so softly under his breath Hound couldn’t make out what he was saying. Then Hound listened to heavy rushed footsteps as they faded away, leaving him alone in the icy darkness. A few micro-cycles after that, a huge crash echoed throughout the building. He panicked for a moment, thinking maybe the building was going to crash down on top of him, but some fast pedsteps later, Mirage was taking the blindfold off him and kissing him in between high thanks to Primus. 

Apparently his feelings towards Mirage weren’t as unrequited as he thought…

\---

A knock at the door abruptly pulled Hound from his memories, making him jump. Cliffjumper leaned against the doorway, smirking at his reaction. For a moment, it was like the old days, before the attack, but even now he knew those days weren’t as innocent and safe as they seemed either. “Hey Hound” Cliffjumper greeted, “what’d you want to see me for?”

“Cliffjumper!!” Hound exclaimed energetically, “I wanted to show you around the Organic and crystal gardens.” Hound couldn’t tell Cliffjumper everything in his office. There was too big a chance of being overheard or listened in on, especially with Highbrow as the head of Intel. The bot kept tabs on everyone he could but he couldn’t listen in in the garden. 

“The gardens?” Cliffjumper asked skeptically. Hound nodded again, grabbing the mini’s arm as he passed the door to tug him along. 

“Yes! Now hurry, it’s almost the best time to see all the flowers.”

“Alright! Alright!” Cliffjumper said as he was tugged along. 

The Gardens sat of the far side of campus, behind the organics science’s wings and buildings. It jutted out haphazardly over the hillside, a colorful patchwork on an otherwise grey and metal metropolis. Plants from all over cybertron and the universe grew there under the careful care of the gardeners and organic science professors. Hound led Cliffjumper to the top of a mineral grass hill, littered with crystal flowers of every shape and color, jutting out of random plots around the small path. 

They reached the top just as the sky turned light pink and yellow in honor of the approaching sunset. Around them, the flowers glowed in the dusky light, like thousands of jewels on the ground. Cliffjumper took it all in with a soft smile, crouching down to gaze at a large purple crystal rose. It didn’t have a plot like the other flowers, it just popped out of the ground; a real wild flower. It stood tall, but limply, too heavy for the vine despite the strong looking thorns littering it. He pet the petals softly once before standing to look at Hound. “Ok…it’s nice Hound, but is this really what you wanted to talk to me about?” he asked. Hound had rushed them out of his office pretty quickly. 

“No, not really.” Hound murmured, keeping his optics on the flowers. “There’s actually something I’ve been meaning to tell you…I…well I just couldn’t find the right time.”

“What is it?” 

“After you went disappeared…something happened to me…”he said nervously. This was a lot harder then he thought it was going to be. He didn’t know if Cliffjumper would believe him, or if it would hurt the mini! He’d been working really hard at adjusting, what if Hound’s confession just threw him into flux? 

“…is this about your integration with the Cons?” Cliffjumper asked, noticing his friend’s apprehension. 

“How did you—?” 

“Mirage mentioned it to me” Cliffjumper explained. “He was just worried about you!” He added quickly. Hound smiled softly. Mirage was always looking out for him. Sometimes he wondered how he was ever so lucky to meet the mech. “He said you were interrogated for Intel and that the con was never identified…”

“Well…that’s actually not true…” Hound said, nervously rubbing his neck and avoiding the mini’s gaze. 

“…what?” Cliffjumper questioned, thinking he’d heard wrong. Hound knew who it was? Why hadn’t he said anything then? 

“…I lied Cliffjumper…” Hound confessed, staring at the ground. “…It was Galvatron that interrogated me…”

“What?” Cliffjumper croaked, throat suddenly very dry and spark warming up at the mention of the bot. He quickly flooded it out with shock and fear. Galvatron had integrated Hound!

“I didn’t realize it until I heard him speak in person, but there’s no mistake it was him.” Hound stated. He had realized it was Galvatron when the Autobots had managed to corner the cons for a few precious moments. He hadn’t shared his discovery with anyone, not even Mirage. 

“Why would you keep that a secret Hound?” Cliffjumper asked softly, more than a little confused and betrayed. Galvatron had attacked one of his best friends…knowingly! He hadn’t thought the con would actually do that…His spark sank even further as he heard Hound’s reply. 

“…because he asked me about you…”

“What?” Cliffjumper said for the third time, spark stalling. Galvatron had asked Hound about him? He’d kidnapped Hound and asked about him!? What in the world could have possessed him to do that! Especially after all he did to keep their relationship a secret! Was it all for nothing!? But if Hound knew the truth…the real truth that he and Galvatron had actually had a relationship…why hadn’t he said anything? Surely he would have been pulled out of stasis and tired. 

Gathering his courage, Hound looked Cliffjumper in the optic as he said,“…I think he was obsessed with you Cliffjumper…” It was the only explanation Hound could come up with for the Decepticon’s behavior. The warlord had known he was friends with Cliffjumper, and though he hadn’t seen the mini since the attack he wanted to know if he was alive, like he cared in some sick sadistic way even after what he did. Hound didn’t want his friend to be remembered like that. He didn’t want Cliffjumper to appear in the history pads as another instance of Galvatron’s insanity. The Cliffjumper he knew would want to be remembered as a warrior, not a victim. 

“…That’s crazy Hound…”Cliffjumper whispered back, his mind in shambles. Hound obviously didn’t know the truth. If Cliffjumper thought of it, excluding the possibility of being in a relationship, his idea made sense, but it was entirely wrong! But he couldn’t tell Hound that. 

“Think about it!” Hound pleaded, knowing the mini wouldn’t believe it at first, even though all the proof was there, “You’re the first bot—the only bot!—he ever raped. What if it wasn’t an accident? What if he’d planned it all out or something? Remember how you often went out? What if he was watching you and got it into his sick processor to get you? It was like he planned to attack you Cliffjumper…and it really felt as though he was planning more.” Hound shuddered. 

“Why do you say that?” Cliffjumper murmured hoarsely, spark tightening at the accusations. 

“Because of what he asked. He was looking for you Cliffjumper, actively looking for you. He asked me about hospitals and scientists and Autobot medical procedure. He knew you were hurt and was looking for you!” Hound said, barley keeping himself from shouting. He shook in revulsion at the thought of the Warlord’s dementia. “ …It was sick.”

“…What did you tell him?” Cliffjumper asked, shocked at Hound’s vehemence. He was usually such a peaceful kindsparked bot. It didn’t seem right for him to hold so much hate…

“The truth…” Hound replied with a hint of shame, deflating from his rant. “As far as I knew, you were offline…”

“…Thanks for telling me Hound…” Cliffjumper said softly, patting the larger bot’s hand, genuinely glad that the bot had told him. “I’m sorry you had to go through that on account of me…”

“It wasn’t your fault Cliffjumper! It was his…” Hound hissed, the weight lifted from his shoulders. Keeping this secret had bothered him for so long, knowing there was more to it than everyone thought. Knowing it wasn’t a random act of violence, but a deeper mental cruelty. Hound had come to see it as the first step in Galvatron’s fall into insanity and that Cliffjumper’s name would be dragged down with the event. He was so glad that now he didn’t have to worry, Cliffjumper would make his own reputation on his terms and in his own way. “You want to go eat?” he asked suddenly, desperate to change the subject. 

“Thanks for the offer Hound” Cliffjumper said with a soft smile, “But I’m going to…chill out here for a bit.” 

“Allright… I’ll see you later?” Hound asked, a bit hesitant to leave Cliffjumper alone, though he knew the bot would need some time to sort things out for himself. 

“Yeah.” Cliffjumper replied with a small smile, waving as Hound headed back to the main base. When the green bot had vanished, Cliffjumper let out a heavy sigh. Hound had it all wrong. Crouching on the ground he stared at the purple rose, his spark twisting in its chamber. He didn’t think it would affect him so much to know what his friends thought of Galvatron. He couldn’t deny he was a harsh warrior and a deadly warlord, but insane? Sick in the head? Cold-sparked? He knew that wasn’t true but he couldn’t just come out and defend the bot. Heck, if anything, he was expected to say worse things. 

But he knew Hound was wrong. Galvatron hadn’t done what he did because he was obsessed…it was because he was worried about him…because he loved him and wanted to know if he was alive. Galvatron hadn’t known if he’d survived…he hadn’t known he’d gone into stasis…the bot…Galvatron might have actually thought that he’d killed him! Oh Primus! Cliffjumper thought as he put his head between his knees, clutching his helm. Galvatron thought he’d killed him! He felt responsible for his apparent death! He must have felt so guilty! Cliffjumper knew Galvatron cared about him, he knew the bot had let him into his spark. It may not have been entirely, or very far, but it was more than any other bot at the time. 

Sparing the drooping rose one final glance, he made his decision. He had to find out what happened to Galvatron. He had to know where the bot went and how he got there. Even if he was dead, Cliffjumper had to know how. He’d have to be careful, especially with Highbrow on his tail, but he could not leave the story half finished. 

End chapter 50


	51. History is Written by the Winners

The Autobot Archives consisted of a huge, 20 story building with even more levels underground. The newer stuff was in the higher levels while the lower levels held information from the First Great war and back. In its lowest level, protected behind blaster proof glass, were even a few of the remaining Great Texts from the time of the ancients. There were only a handful of such texts left, scattered around the planet in museums and shrines. But few bots went down that far. Cliffjumper himself was only going down to the fourth level, where all the information on the First Great War (that wasn’t classified) was held. 

Cliffjumper felt seriously out of place here. It was too quiet and reserved. Everything he did seemed too loud. Taking a step sounded like he was stomping down the halls, pulling a pad out made him think he was going to make the entire shelf tower down. He just didn’t belong in a place like this. But that didn’t mean he was going to just give up and leave. He had to find out what happened to Galvatron and this was as good a place to start as any. Besides, here he could make it look like he was studying instead of researching and so long as he didn’t use his ID to look for anything specific or check anything out there wouldn’t be a data trail to even say he was ever there. It was still a heavy task though. 

He didn’t need an autobiography, he knew he wasn’t going to miraculously find Galvatron’s final days in some text. But it wasn’t enough to know that he “just disappeared”, he wanted to know everything up to it. He wanted to know where the bot was last seen, what he had last been doing, everything leading up to his fateful disappearance and anything that could hint at what he’d been doing after. 

But three micro-cycles later, he still hadn’t learned anything of value. All of these records were reports and testimonies. They were meant to be brief and direct. Sighing, Cliffjumper clicked off his latest pad, placing it on the “useless” pile. He’d been pouring over these old pads but the most he ever got was a sighting of Galvatron and some fit on insanity. He’d already read the official report on the scene with the branding iron, but it was just as vague as the other reports. The most this one had had was a brief description of Galvatron’s command unit, taken from a distance. Aside from his generals and advisors, there was also apparently a femme, supposedly his nurse, with the group, but there wasn’t much of a description and no name for her. Cliffjumper wondered briefly if she was Galvatron’s mate. The idea made his spark burn with jealousy for an uncontrolled instant. Then he could only feel disappointment in himself. He kept forgetting that this was several million ano-cycles ago. What right did he have to feel jealous; it wasn’t right or fair to expect the bot to moon over him forever, especially after what happened. If anything, he should be glad the bot moved on…maybe she helped him…. 

Slumping in his seat, Cliffjumper only vaguely noticed a bot coming out from around one of the shelves as he stared at the few data pads he had left to look at. 

“Hey there Cliffjumper” the bot suddenly greeted, “what are you doing here?” Cliffjumper looked up to find the bot was Optimus! The truck had a few video tracks and data pads in his bulky arms. 

“Reading” the mini replied simply, ignoring the sparkling as it fluttered with interest. Cliffjumper had sort of figured it had fallen asleep after the first ano-cycle. 

Optimus blushed a bit and drew back. It had been a pretty obvious question. “Sorry about that, I just never figured you for the reading type.”

Cliffjumper smiled a bit. Optimus was too sensitive for his own good, but he was a well-meaning bot. “I’m not, I’m just trying to find something.” He replied tiredly. 

“Maybe I can help” Optimus offered. “I volunteer here so I know the place a bit better than most.” 

Doubting it Cliffjumper shrugged before figuring it wouldn’t hurt to ask, “I’m trying to find out exactly how the war ended.”

“You could try the old vid files.”

“Vid files?”

The blue and red bot nodded. “Vid files were used to document the ongoing war efforts and eventual defeat of the Decepticons. They covered almost the entire Great War.” He parroted. 

To Cliffjumper, that sounded a lot like a propaganda tactic, probably showed the vids to pump up the Autobots and work against the cons. He’d seen a lot of the same when his war first started and he’d fallen for it just as hard as Optimus. Heck, some could still pump him up! They might not be much, but those vids could be helpful. “The first or the second war?”

“Uh, the second war. But I know there are a few vids from the first war, though they’re really focused on the end.” Optimus explained nervously. 

“That’s fine. Where are they?” 

“The media section, one level down, I can take you.” Optimus replied, putting his stuff down on the table and pointing towards the elevator. “There aren’t that many for the First War so they’re a bit hard to find.” 

“Thanks” Cliffjumper offered as he stood up, feeling the sparkling wake itself up with a small jolt, and followed the bot. As they entered the elevator, Optimus fiddled with his hands, sending Cliffjumper a shy glance every other nano-klick. “Something on your mind Optimus?” Cliffjumper asked with a smirk. He could see why Kup liked this kid, he was still uncertain with himself, but some experience would fix that right up. He was a promising rookie. 

“Oh, er…well, I was just wondering…what was it like… to actually fight during the war?” He asked quickly. “I mean, you played a part in making history!” he added with awe. 

“Not really.” Cliffjumper mumbled. “ Everybot was just trying to make it from one day to the next.” 

“It must have been exciting though, to see some real action…” Optimus added softly. It wasn’t that he wanted to fight; it was just that between a text pad and actual experience…it was obvious which one was better. 

“I’ll admit, the action is one of the reasons I signed up with the Autobots.” Cliffjumper admitted with a smirk. “But it wasn’t the main reason.” He added, subconsciously petting his chassis. 

“What was?” Optimus asked, curious. He’d been molded for enrollment into the Academy. He was never expected to do anything different, and really he couldn’t think of something he’d rather do. He liked being an Autobot. He liked feeling like he was a part of something great, something important, even if it was a small role right now. 

“Duty.” Cliffjumper said with a shrug. “Responsibility. I wanted to have some say in the outcome and my spark was telling me the Autobots had it right.” 

“Was there actually any doubt!?” Optimus asked suddenly, only to be shocked with himself an instant later. He didn’t mean to accuse Cliffjumper like that, he was just surprised! 

“I’m sorry! I just meant that between Autobots and Decepticons…well I thought the choice would be obvious…” he murmured. After all, weren’t the Autobots the good guys? The heroes? The protectors against the evil energon-blood thirsty Decepticons? 

Cliffjumper bit his tongue. There was no doubt in his mind that the old him would have agreed whole heartedly, but not anymore. Optimus was still young, he didn’t know what Cliffjumper did about the origins of the war, and the way things changed. It wasn’t fair to snap at him for his lack of experience. “Optimus, why do you think the war stared in the first place?” he asked flatly as the elevator doors opened and he stepped out. 

“Because the Decepticons wanted to take over the planet.” Optimus answered automatically, following the bot off the elevator. 

“And why did they want to do that?” Cliffjumper asked taking a look around the new floor. It was filled entirely with video files and they were the only ones there, a bit of a shocker considering how close finals were. 

“…I’m not sure I understand….” Optimus replied with a frown. What did the mini mean, why? The bots were crazy and power hungry, they didn’t need more reason than that, right? 

“The war began because they were isolated from the rest of society and mistreated out of prejudice. The original Decepticons were the military builds that protected the planet and the labor bots that held society up on their shoulders. They just wanted recognition. They went about it in a stupid way, but their goal did start out with good intentions….” Cliffjumper explained, gesturing for Optimus to lead the way. 

The fire truck headed straight for the back end of the level, where a few sparse shelves stood. For a moment Cliffjumper thought they were going to head through the door that stood to the side. Instead, Optimus lead him in the opposite direction, to look at a single shelf with maybe a dozen or so vid files on it…maybe. If this was all there was, than Optimus wasn’t kidding when he said it was hard to find. It probably would have taken Cliffjumper forever to realize this was it. “There aren’t many…” He murmured, picking one out to look at the date. 

“It couldn’t have been that bad.” Optimus suddenly declared. “The Council couldn’t have allowed it to get to that point. It had to be something else.”

“Optimus, the old council was corrupt. It didn’t have bots from various fields or levels like the modern one.”

“Decepticons?”

“The bots that ruled Cybertron were the elites” Cliffjumper said bluntly. “The ones that lived a rich lifestyle by stealing the energon out of other’s mouths. There weren’t any Autobots or Decepticons. This was when bots were separated by class and income, not brands. And trust me, it was bad.”

“I’m afraid I don’t really get it…” Optimus reluctantly admitted. To him, there had always been Decepticons and Autobots. It was a natural as night and day to think of bots in that way. “How could leaders stand back and let bots be oppressed to that point? Didn’t they matter? Were they just not worth saving?” 

“Not at the time” Cliffjumper sighed, “…You’ll understand someday… thanks for showing me where these were.” 

More than a bit confused over the situation, Optimus nodded and headed back to the elevator, leaving Cliffjumper alone with his thoughts. As the mini watched the fire truck go, he couldn’t help but think, I just hope you don’t learn the hard way…before grabbing a few pads and heading over to the desktop to watch them. Optimus was still naïve. It was expected with how young he was. He’d learn sooner or later that a brand doesn’t automatically make a bot good or bad. The Autobots weren’t a race or a species. At best they were a club. Bots of the same opinions and mindsets united together for something. But even then, bots were different. There were jerks, traitors, liars, and users just as often as there were heroes. Optimus would meet them all eventually. 

Cliffjumper chuckled darkly at himself. He really had changed. Before he’d met Axle, or rather Galvatron, he wouldn’t have defended anything the Decepticons did. After so much time with the Autobots, he’d blocked out most everything that didn’t have to do with the cause. Axle had given him a fresh look on things, making him rethink what he thought of the neutrals and the Cons. He still felt the Decepticons were in the wrong…but he understood their reasons a bit better than he did before, and their goals were a lot like the Autobots. They wanted freedom, justice, equality, but while the Autobots worked for it, the Cons wanted to take it and impose it by force. That was the biggest difference between them. He couldn’t blame Optimus for not seeing it yet. 

As he sat down the sparkling seemed to sulk, settling heavily against his chamber, ready to go back to sleep. It had probably been hoping to go home already. But as if it somehow knew this was important, it settled down, napping instead of jolting.

Clicking on the first vid in his pile, Cliffjumper watched the screen blink on, showing him a short introduction. Apparently he’d picked a documentary of Autobot recruitment procedures from a few vorns after he’d gone under. A line of young bots were waiting in a line to sign. The reporter was walking around and interviewing them. Sinking into his seat, Cliff settled himself in for video. Aside from a few mentions of the Decepticons and two mentions of Galvatron, Cliffjumper didn’t learn anything. Putting in the next file, Cliffjumper stifled a groan as he saw a government building. Sure enough, it was a political film. It was a recording of the Autobot’s first case under their new law. Despite it being mildly interesting Cliffjumper didn’t learn anything about Galvatron. Going through the films was slow even if they were short. Cliffjumper forced himself to pay attention to any clues, despite his disinterest in most of the films. In his first pile, two were interviews with veterans and the last one was a documentary about Galvatron. 

For a sweet moment he thought he’d hit the jackpot, but the film turned into a flop quickly. It gave a brief history of Galvatron, stating he had been a violent gladiator that led several uprisings against the established government. That was news to Cliffjumper. The mini didn’t know he had been a gladiator, though it certainly made sense. He knew the rest though. Galvatron’s hunger for power lead to a war as the Autobots rose up to challenge him and his Decepticons. After several vorns, he slowly lost hold of his sanity, and eventually stole the All Spark to produce Megatron and vanished, presumably dead. Disappointed and depressed, Cliffjumper pulled out the pad, appreciating the sparkling’s soft attempts to cheer him up but fluttering against his spark warmly. 

His second trip to the shelf brought the last of the data pads. The first two covered some important First War political events, the next two were copies of victorious Autobot battles, but neither featured Galvatron in them for more than an instant. Apparently by that time, Galvatron had stopped participating in the battles himself. He struck gold with his last vid though. 

The last history vid was security footage from the All Spark Temple. 

The All Spark was pretty small considering the power it held. Two regular sized bots could carry it between the two of them. It sat on a pedestal in the center of the room, bathed in light but glowing with its own inner power. When he saw it, Cliffjumper felt a swell of pride and awe over the artifact that gave him life. The sparkling fluttered happily inside his chassis, sharing his reaction to the sight. Though Cliffjumper had only been to the temple once, for the bonding ceremony of one of his friends, he had never forgotten the trip. During the day, bots filled the room for prayer, sight-seeing, bonding ceremonies and sparkling requests. Spark Priests worked hard to make everyone feel both helped and welcomed, but were strict and firm in their behavior towards the All Spark. 

In the footage though, the temple was empty aside from a few guards at the door and the corners of the room. Suddenly, there was a blast at the door that threw the two bots there back into the room. Cliffjumper nearly jumper out of his seat as he quickly linked up to the machine to filter the audio, glancing around the empty corner nervously, the sparkling sending out tiny jolts in surprise. Two large bots—Decepticons—ran out of the smoke and attacked the remaining guards. Then Galvatron entered the room.   
Cliffjumper’s voice caught in his throat when he saw the bot. He looked horrible. His paint was faded and scared. His faceplate seemed hollow, his optics glowed too brightly. Cliffjumper’s spark sank at the sight, the sparkling sharing in his sadness. 

Despite his despairing appearance though, Galvatron was still so powerful. He strutted into the room quickly, grabbed the handles of the All Spark and tore it from its mantel. Cliffjumper flinched as he listened to the screeching of the metal giving way beneath his strength. It was odd seeing those servos do that, when he knew how gentle they could be. Galvatron handed the Allspark to two other cons and they fled the room as he yelled. The footage cut off there, letting some notes flood the screen. Cliffjumper read them with a heavy spark. 

This was the last known footage of Galvatron. It is suspected that after he stole the All Spark, he and an unidentified bot or femme used its power to give birth to Megatron, his eventual successor, before they fled the planet. 

Cliffjumper sighed heavily. He hadn’t learned anything new! He didn’t know where Galvatron went, he didn’t know where he raised Megatron, and he didn’t know what happened to him in the time between Megatron’s birth and his succession! The entire cycle felt wasted! 

As Cliffjumper dejectedly returned the vid files to their shelf, he spotted something. 

A vid file was lodged between the shelves; he could just see the corner of it sticking out. The sparkling suddenly quivered with excitement at the discovery. Shifting the vids in his hands to a lower shelf, he reached for the file, trying to jimmy it out of the tight space without damaging it, but it was stuck tight. He furtively looked around for any bot. Spotting none, he grabbed the shelf and pulled as hard as he could, moving the full shelf just enough to let the mystery vid fall to the ground. Crouching quickly, Cliffjumper pulled the vid file out from under the shelf, moving the shelf back into place an instant later. 

The vid file was covered in dust. A corner of it was rusted. It was one of the older files from the First Great War, blocky and durable, but Cliffjumper wasn’t even sure if it would play. On the side, faded and almost peeling off completely, was a red band that read “restricted.” Cliffjumper glanced to the door on the other side of the room. It was large and broad with a high-encryption lock: the Restricted Archives. There, files with war crimes, important medical records and political documents were stored, accessible only to a few high-ranking bots in the Autobot branches, like the top dogs of the Security or Intel divisions. This file belonged with them, yet it had somehow ended up jammed behind an open shelf for who knows how long…!

Moving back to the desktop he inserted the file. After a moment of static, he recognized the temple of the All Spark. A pair of cons holding the All Spark ran through the hall the camera was monitoring. It was a continuation of the other video! ...But why would this part be cut off? He watched eagerly, expecting Galvatron to follow immediately, but he didn’t appear until several kliks later. The bot was stumbling on his peds, gripping his helm and using the wall to support himself as he walked. Cliffjumper stopped breathing for a moment when the bot suddenly froze, becoming steel stiff. 

He looked over his shoulder and Cliffjumper wondered if a bot had spotted him. Galvatron’s derma moved. “So you’re back?” he said hoarsely, but resigned, like he was greeting someone he had expected…but no one was there. “You haven’t appeared for deca-cycles….” Galvatron was talking to the air and it didn’t look like a nice conversation. An instant later, Galvatron glared at the invisible form, snarling and shouting angrily, pointing a finger harshly at it. “I have my reasons! This will be better for everyone!” 

He stopped for a moment, apparently listening to the hallucination’s response. When it seemed to be done, he refused to look back to where the bot apparently was, staring at the floor and clenching his servos into shaking fists. An instant later his optics brightened until they were nearly while and he threw his arms out, shouting, as though flinging something away before it could touch him! “I’ve had enough.” Glaring, he turned and stomped after his cons, clawing at his chassis and shuttering his optics rapidly. 

Then Cliffjumper looked closer. He was tracing the Decepticon brand on his chest. His servos were trembling. Just before he vanished completely from sight, Galvatron looked back, only for a second, to hear the ghost’s final word… and then he ran, out of the hall, out of the temple, as fast as he could. The vid file cut off there. 

Now Cliffjumper got why this was restricted. It showed Galvatron as weak, sick and troubled. The Autobots had no problem with portraying him as insane and dangerous, but not like this, not like…a broken bot. Cliffjumper felt his spark go out to Galvatron, The sparkling reaching out with his warmth and glow. He wanted to hug him, to pet his helm and talk him again, his spark flared with the feeling! 

Swallowing thickly, Cliffjumper glanced to the Restricted Archive door. This file belonged there…that meant that there could be more. The security footage of Galvatron’s attack on him was probably in there too. Moving to the door, he stared at the security scanner, servo twitching to try his ID, but he knew he would be answered with a red screen, telling him he wasn’t “permitted” to enter the area. And on top of not being allowed, his attempt would plant a red flag on his plans. Highbrow would be on him faster than a cyber-hound on an injured turbo-fox. 

He stared at the door, trying to look past it. The information he wanted—needed—was inside, beyond his reach. Forcing himself to not kick the door, he turned on his heel, heading for the elevator, leaving the misfiled vid on the table. “Fine.” He thought as he pressed the button for the elevator a bit harder than was necessary, his other servo petting his chassis. He’d have to do things the hard way then. He’d have to earn a rank high enough to let him into the restricted archives without arising suspicion. He could do that, he knew he could. Then, then he’d be able to learn what really happened. 

It wouldn’t be easy, but the sparkling gave him strength as it resolutely settled against spark, sending waves of comfort over him. If the sparkling thought he could do it, then he better not let it down. 

End chapter 51


	52. Size Matters

Cliffjumper stared at the screen as Preceptor droned on about the results of this meeting's tests and the birth process. When it was ready, the sparkling would detach itself from his spark, allowing a doctor to remove it from his chassis and implant it into a protoform. It was pretty straightforward but Preceptor had been going on about it for the past several meetings, so Cliff didn't feel too bad about not paying attention to the microscope in favor of looking at the screen with the image of his spark. It probably looked like any other spark, bright blue and pulsing with energy, but unlike any other bot, his had a very light blue light clutching the ends of his spark, firmly curled in a corner of his chamber. The sparkling was so much bigger now, even from the last scan.

"The sparkling is progressing at a normal rate, though it is much larger than previously estimated." Preceptor intoned, voicing Cliffjumper's thoughts and pulling his optics away from the image. "Have you been feeling any pressure on your spark or against your chamber?" he asked.

"Some mornings my chassis feels heavy and my spark feels swollen." Cliffjumper replied simply. He had been confused about it at first but figured it was probably normal as it occurred more and more often. I mean, having something growing in your chassis wasn't NOT going to do anything.

"How often?"

"It used to be only once or twice a mega-cycle, now it's basically every other cycle." Cliffjumper grumbled, rubbing at his chassis.

"It is to be expected with the sparkling's increased size. Considering it's lineage it can only be assumed that the sparkling will grow considerably larger, both during its gestation period and once it has a physical body." Perceptor replied, noting the information down on Cliffjumper's medical pad.

"It's going to get bigger?!" Cliffjumper asked in shock, looking back to the screen. The sparkling was already pushing up against his chamber! Much more and the sparkling would be smothering his spark against his own chamber walls! The sparkling sent him a jolt, like it was angry for his panic.

"Yes." Perceptor answered simply. He'd known this was going to happen after all.

"And this isn't—oh I don't know—A PROBLEM!?" Cliffjumper shouted. He did not appreciate Perceptor's aloofness when his spark and the sparkling were on the line. It was times like this he really missed the old nervous, fidgety and shy preceptor.

"I could become one, yes." Perceptor answered, working some math out on a datapad. He looked up to find Cliffjumper glaring at him. "Ah. I've concerned you. My apologies" he said in that flat monotone voice of his that really made Cliffjumper want to hit him. "By my calculations, the sparkling will grow by another third in the remaining time of your gestation period. Your spark should be elastic enough to provide the space, but we may remove him earlier then that if it cannot, to prevent any hazard to your spark."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Cliffjumper asked, watching the little spark on the screen flitter around his spark. It used to do it so much more freely before. Now it stuck to a small space at the bottom corner of his chamber. Now that he thought about it, the occasional flutters of excitement and burst of energy when it was mad were much more solid now, but he didn't know if that was enough. Would it endanger the sparkling to try and take it out before it's time? Or after for that matter when you thought about its actual conception date. What if it didn't take to the protoform correctly? Would it just…blink out?

"We have a buffer zone of about a mega-cycle or so." Preceptor explained, interrupting Cliffjumper's thoughts. "We may remove it a mega-cycle early, or, if size demands, provide an extra mega-cycle of gestation. It depends completely on the sparkling. The gestation period is set to end in 1.5 deca-cycles; we shall have everything ready for the procedure before then."

Cliffjumper could hardly believe it. It really seemed as though the time just flew by. He tried to picture his spark without the sparkling. It felt weird. He'd gotten so used to it after all, to the sweet fluttering and the light hugs, to the locked joints and the sweet energon. He could barely remember what it felt like not to be carrying, to have only one spark inside him. It was going to be weird to adjust to that again, but he had to admit. He was pretty excited about the sparkling coming out.

"This will be the most difficult period, Cliffjumper" Perceptor cautioned. "The sparkling's new size will place a lot of strain on your systems and body. Do not push yourself. Do you understand?"

Cliffjumper nodded absentmindedly, trying to imagine how big the sparkling would get.

End chapter 52


	53. Troubled Breathing

Cliffjumper was not having a good cycle. He'd woken up that morning with a very heavy spark. It seemed the sparkling had decided to double in size in a single night. His chassis felt like it was full of rocks and his systems felt slow. After classes, he had headed to the archives again for more research; much to the sparkling's displeasure. It liked learning, but the library had gotten boring after the first two mega-cycles. It perked up whenever anything of Galvatron popped up, but that wasn't very often. 

Cliffjumper had started going through every file after his stasis he could get his servos on, particularly the reports of those Autobots based off-planet. He'd gotten lucky today and learned that Galvatron had been sighted, once, after he'd left Cybertron, on a planet at the edge of Autobot territory. Planet Junk sat right on the border between the Autobot commonwealth and the Quintesson pan galactic co-prosperity sphere, and much to its namesake, it was basically a trash planet, where all the waste from other planets ended up. The file had a footnote saying that the bot that'd seen him had been overcharged and a veteran of the First War. That made it unreliable, but Cliffjumper was still hopeful. There weren't that many robotic planets past the Benzuli Expanse or beyond other end of Quintesson territory, and the few that did exist weren't exactly booming with Cybertronian products. That meant that Gavlatron had to stay on this side of those two systems in order to have access to the materials needed to build and raise Megatron.

Before he had a chance to look for more clues in some star charts however, his alarm went off. Alpha Trion had asked to meet him and he was close to running late. Leaving the pad behind, he hurried to Alpha Trion's office, scanning his ID to gain access to the main building. Taking the elevators he braced himself for the maze that was the fifth floor. Cliff didn't know who designed this building, but if they wanted bots to get lost in it, they did a great job. After taking several wrong turns, Cliffjumper finally recognized a decorative painting that was two left turns from Alpha Trion's office. But as he turned the corner, he met a most unwelcomed sight.

"Bang! If it isn't the coward from the bar!" Warpath greeted, blocking his path. The bot had been leaning against the wall, waiting for a meeting to finish. He hadn't expected the mini to be here, but at least he'd get some entertainment out of it.

Growling, Cliffjumper glared at the tank. "Move, afthead. I've got more important things to do then waste my time with you." He didn't have the patience to deal with this bot. He was already frustrated about having to leave the archives when he'd finally gotten something and his spark was still too fragging heavy.

"Where you off to in such a hurry shorty?" Warpath mocked, "Pow! Get in trouble for ditching battle practice?"

Glowering darkly at the bot, Cliffjumper used every ounce of restraint he had to just ignore the jerk bot when his fists were twitching for a fight. A bar was one thing, Autobot headquarters was another. With the sparkling so much larger and in a small space, the odds of coming out unscathed were not looking good. If he didn't have the sparkling to worry about, the bot would already be kissing the floor…but as that wasn't the case, he just ducked under his arm and continued to Alpha Trion's office.

But as Cliffjumper moved to head down the hall, Warpath suddenly turned around, striking him in the neck with his cannon. The mini was knocked to the floor as Warpath snickered under his breath.

Snapping, Cliffjumper jumped up, and without even giving himself time to process what happened he grabbed the other bot's cannon and kicked his shin-plate, denting it and making the bot sink to knees with a curse. He was carrying some very important contents, slag it!

Getting in his face, Cliffjumper snarled, "WHAT the frag is your problem!? I kicked your skip-plate before but don't think for an instant I won't do it again! You call yourself a warrior!? More like a prissy fragged up glamor bot too chicken to face me head on! Having to resort to dirty tricks like some two…bit…bully-" Cliffjumper began coughing harshly as he little rant went on.

"What's the matter baby? Wham! Throw too big of a hissy fit?" Warpath sneered. Glaring between coughs, Cliffjumper yanked hard on the cannon in his servos, making the bot fall completely on the ground.

As Warpath grunted and cursed, Cliffjumper spun on heel and headed towards Alpha Trion's office, still coughing. He hardly made it five feet before was forced to grab onto the wall as his vision grew blurry. Taking a few heavy gulps he tried to regain his breath. His spark was too heavy. It felt smothered.

"You little glitch!" Warpath growled as he stood up again, more than ready to punch the mini's lights out, only to stop short. Cliffjumper was gasping but it didn't look like any air was getting filtered."…Hey? What's wrong with you? Hey!" Warpath asked with growing concern. The bot looked like he was suffocating, the way bots did when they forgot to close their vents in water or outer space, water flooded in or their air got sucked out so rapidly they didn't know what the slag had happened before they were offline.

Cliffjumper sank to his knees, clutching his chassis and trying to even out his intakes as he gasped desperately. It was like they were blocked, like he wasn't getting enough cool air. His spark felt swollen, like it was reaching out and pushing against his other systems. His vents felt like they were jammed and he was slowly overheating. His processor started to throb and his vision grew blurry. Sinking even further to the ground he wondered frantically if something was happening to the sparkling.

Suddenly he felt a soft servo on his back, rubbing soothing circles. An image of Galvatron flashed into his mind. Forcing himself to look, he saw a white and gold bot crouching beside him instead, and couldn't fight the flood of disappointment. The bot wore a fancy helmet and a cloth wrap around his waist. His pale face glowed with calm serenity as he reached to pull Cliffjumper's servos away from his body. "Release your limbs; you are preventing your energy from flowing." he said in a soft but rich voice, patient but firm.

Despite a panic-filled moment of insane doubt, Cliffjumper let his hands sink to the floor, shifting his shoulders back. After a painful moment, he felt the sparkling sink a bit lower in his chamber, removing some of the pressure from his air filter, letting him breathe a bit deeper. The cool air started flowing again and the red warning signs stopping blinking in front of his optics. "I...I can breathe..." Cliffjumper managed to gasp out softly. "t-thanks..."

The bot nodded, still rubbing circles on his back, before he shifted his gaze to Warpath. The red tank had stood aside, nervously checking the package quickly after the white bot had arrived. Detecting the silent question, he began,"Master Yoketron…" but stopped, not knowing what to say. He didn't think the hit would cause that kind of reaction. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. He was fine an instant ago!" he added, the barest hint of a alarm in his voice.

"Warpath." Yoketron murmered softly, making Warpath's voice seem so much louder. The tank recognized the tone in an instant, Yoketron knew there was more to it than that.

"I'm sorry Master" he said softly. "…we argued despite my duty to keep the package safe, but I didn't think that would happen!" Warpath added. "He's the bot I told you about. The one from Macadam's." Warpath had told Yoketron the whole story when he returned to the dojo that night. It often helped settle him down to vent.

"Ah." Yoketron nodded, helping the mini to his shaky feet now that his breathing had stabilized. They heard quick footsteps coming towards them and an instant later, Alpha Trion turned the corner.

"Cliffjumper!" he exclaimed, instantly moving to help the mini.

"I'm fine" Cliffjumper mumbled.

"If you were fine, you wouldn't be collapsing in the hallway" Alpha Trion admonished.

"He had great difficulty breathing." Yoketron interjected, making the mini frown at him. Warpath could practically hear the bot hiss, did you have to tell him?

"Let's get you to Perceptor and Wheeljack" Alpha Trion decided with a final nod. The mini sighed in exasperation as he was led towards the elevator. "If you would be so kind as to join us Master Yoketron, we can conclude our business in the Lab" he added to the white and gold bot.

"I shall be along shortly" Yoketron answered, nodding to the two bots. Cliffjumper struggled to stand up straight without Alpha Trion's help, but the taller bot kept a firm grip around the mini's shoulders.

When the two bots had vanished, Yoketron returned his gaze to Warpath. After a moment's pause, he spoke softly. "…This is no different from Prowl's entrance into the dojo." He said, thinking of the young bot they had accepted into their folds. He and Warpath had a difference of ideology and did not get along, but Yoketron had found a good friend in the young bot. Perhaps in this situation, Warpath could find a friend as well. From what Alpha Trion had told him, the red minibot was a lot like Warpath in character. "Great friendships can grow from the strangest of circumstances, Warpath." He said sagely. Warpath had to keep himself from snorting in protest. Him? Friends with the mini? Yoketron let a small smile reach his faceplate. He knew perfectly well what his student was thinking. "Remember your meetings, Warpath and think of both of your actions."

Suppressing a roll of his optics, Warpath did as his master asked. When he had first met the mini, his large chinned friend had spilled oil all over him. The mini had stepped up to defend him…he supposed that was a good quality…When Warpath had tried to make him fight, the mini had turned him down, going to help his friends. It was cowardly, but honorable…he guessed. They had gotten into a fight when Warpath called him coward. The mini had a temper…a bit like his he could admit. It showed today too. The mini could fight even if he was small. He obviously had some skills, might have even seen some battle. Compared to that draft-dodging peacenik Mater Yoketron had accepted, Warpath supposed the mini wasn't too bad…and it had been him to start both fights…

Seeming to realize Warpath's epiphany, Yoketron smiled more broadly. "I must speak to Alpha Trion about a private matter" he said, "You may give me the package."  
Warpath took the hint. Opening a compartment under his cannon, he pulled out a small transport pod and handed it to the white bot with a soft reverence. "I'll return to the dojo, Master Yoketron." He replied with a formal bow. He needed to burn off some energy…and think.

Nodding goodbye, Yoketron headed for the lab, keeping a secure hold on the tiny pod. Alpha Trion had enlisted his help with the mini. The bot was in a very delicate condition and along with some inconspicuous protection, Alpha Trion had requested private lessons for both the mini and the forthcoming sparkling, once he became of age. But that came later. Today, he had come to deliver the protoform that would become the sparkling's body. He had brought the youngest he guarded. It was not even a vorn old, much too young and small to be considered for an adult spark, but perfect for a newborn sparkling.

Protoforms were created from the living protomatter found deep in the Sonic Canons of Cybertron. Every ano-cycle, protomatter became more and more rare. What they could find however, was placed in stasis and nurtured for many vorns until the protoforms could fit in the existing molds and be infused with the remaining All Spark energy. It was Yoketron's duty to protect and manage the Autobot's existing score of protoforms.

Yoketron sighed softly. The remaining All Spark energy in the molds was dwindling just as quickly as protomatter. He had long foreseen the standstill of their species. Efforts had been put forth to allow for conservation and population control, but it was difficult. Eventually their resources would run out…or so he had thought. Cliffjumper and his sparkling challenged everything. It was not yet known how it happened to the mini, but if it could be solved, if they could rediscover the skill they had lost so long ago, there was certainly hope.

Finally arriving at the lab, he saw Cliffjumper arguing with Perceptor, Wheeljack and Alpha Trion, trying to get down from the examination table. The image brought a smile to his face. The minibot certainly had spirit to be up and arguing so quickly! Yoketron had a good feeling about this mini. Perhaps it came from the All Spark-like energy he had felt flowing out of the bot when he helped him, but it was very much like the feeling he had about Prowl as well. There was a lot of potential for good in them, though he may not know what form it would take, he was looking forward to seeing it.

"Ah!" Alpha Trion greeted when he noticed Yoketron arrive. "Good! Cliffjumper, this is the bot I wanted you to meet." He explained, looking to the mini as he stopped his struggling to smile at the bot that helped him out. "Master Yoketron is head of the Cyber-ninja Corps."

Cliffjumper nodded respectfully in greeting. "Thanks again for your help, Sir."

Yoketron smiled softly. "Such difficulties, and their accompanying aid, are to be expected in your condition."

Cliffjumper blinked in surprise, gaping.

"Master Yoketron also guards and matures our supply of protoforms," Perceptor explained. "He is providing us with one for your sparkling."

"Our youngest." Yoketron answered, placing the pod next to Cliffjumper on the examination table.

The mini looked into the small glass opening of the pod, gasping in awe at the small, faceless silver form curled into a small ball. "Wow" Cliffjumper whispered in wonder, feeling his spark swell as the sparkling reached out, like it knew the body was meant for it.

It was a feeling everyone in the room shared it. Even Yoketron, who saw Protoforms every day, felt the astonishment at such a marvel. That such a small thing held so much potential. That soon, it would be alive and bright with an energy unseen in millennia! A new bot, unlike any other…!

"With this, we have everything ready for the sparkling." Perceptor said, eyeing the protoform with care. It seemed perfectly stable. They would store it in the lab until it was needed, in the same space they had placed Cliffjumper into stasis. It was the safest place for such a treasure. After all, it had survived 5 million steller-cycles of war and reconstruction. 

"Only a few mega-cycles left" Wheeljack said softly, thinking of everything that come before this. Cliffjumper may not have been around for it, but he had. 5 million steller-cycles wasn’t anything to scoff at! He’d seen two wars, the split in their species, the reconstruction of their culture…and it didn’t hold a candle to what he saw when he saw the protoform that would be the sparkling’s body. "You have to be super careful Cliffjumper. Today was just a single instance of what the sparkling could do. It's not even finished growing yet!"

"I request that you stick closely to Sentinel, Cliffjumper" Alpha Trion intoned, "Or anyone really, so long as you are not alone, in case something like this were to occur again. Alright?"

Cliffjumper nodded, optics still glued to the pod. It shouldn't be that big of an issue, after all he hardly spent anytime completely alone anymore. During his first quarter, he really only left his dorm for classes, medical exams and some trips to the gun range. Now, he was hardly ever home. In fact, in between classes, the impromptu trips to medical and his search at the library, he hadn't even been to the range this quarter! Mark-5 probably thought he was dead. After the first trip, he'd gone at least twice a mega-cycle. He should stop by after finals, when the sparkling wasn't so sensitive.

He placed a servo softly on the pod. It was really happening! The sparkling was going to have a body of its own! It was coming. Cliffjumper didn't even feel the huge grin grow on his faceplate, but Yoketron did.

Yoketron smiled and bowed in goodbye. "I am sure we shall meet again soon." he said to the mini. But for now it was time for him to return to the dojo, hopefully before Warpath and Prowl got into another argument.

As the bot glided out, Alpha Trion watched Perceptor and Wheeljack hide the pod away, Cliffjumper never taking his optics off it. It was a good sight. Or at least Alpha Trion thought so. Because it meant the mini was looking forward to the sparkling existing in a physical form. The mini had slowly but surely changed since he'd woken up, really for the better. He was quieter, more observant. He listened before he acted. There were still instances when his temper snapped, such as today, but those incidents were singular and rare. He knew Cliffjumper worked hard to protect the sparkling, from his own temper included.

All of them were eagerly awaiting the sparkling's arrival. At long last…everything was coming together.

End chapter 53


	54. Exhaustion

Moonracer was a relatively new teacher. She’d been a teaching assistant for snipping with Bluestreak at the Autobot Academy in Praxis up until 3 ano-cycles ago, when she’d been transferred to the Iacon branch to strengthen their snipers, as well as teach a few classes for guerilla-warfare, raiding, discipline and a special ops class on energon detonation. Despite this, she didn’t feel as though the other professors took her seriously, thinking her too young or impetuous to teach. And it was times like these that she really thought they were right. A minibot in one of her classes looked extremely out of sorts and she didn’t know what to do. He’d walked into class like a droid and hadn’t moved from his seat since, even after the clock chimed and class ended. 

“Cliffjumper?—Cliffjumper are you all right?” she asked nervously, shaking the small bot lightly by the shoulder. He looked like he was in a trance, his optics were dim, but his helm was warm and he was shaking slightly. The classroom had emptied out of all the other students, but Cliffjumper hadn’t given them any heed as he continued to stare into space. “Can you hear me Cliffjumper? Finals were looming, but surely the bot couldn’t be stressing over that! Cliffjumper did just fine in class and they were reviewing everything they needed to know. 

“Huh?” Cliffjumper asked, snapping out of his trance. “What?” 

“Are you all right?” Moonracer asked again, growing more concerned. Cliffjumper wasn’t her best student, or her most active, but he paid attention in class and performed well on tests. He was diligent if nothing else and this was very out of character for the mini. He usually took his seat, took notes and listened silently to her lectures, but he never just sat there staring off into the distance! 

“Oh, yes” Cliffjumper said simply, nodding once and gripping his helm sharply. That little move made his processor throb. It’d been pretty bad that morning, he had had a lot of trouble getting out of bed and his breakfast cube had made him queasy. He’d walked to class like a zombie and had sat as still as he could in his seat. His head ached and he felt heavy, tired and short of breath. He’d ended up zoning out of class completely! “Sorry about that” he mumbled quickly. “I have to go.” He added, packing up his blank note pad. 

“I think you should go to medical.” Moonracer said softly, trying to make it sound like an order, though it didn’t even come close. “I’ll help you get there.” She added, a bit more strongly, holding out her servo to help Cliffjumper out of his seat. She was just a little taller than him. 

“No, I’m fine. Thank you” Cliffjumper replied simply, standing up on his own and moving for the door. After a few wobbly steps his vision suddenly started to blurr. He refused to let that stop him though, and continued for the door, even as the room started spinning. Suddenly a heavy jolt fritzed his systems. He just managed to grip the doorframe before everything went black and he collapsed against the wall. 

“Scrap!” Moonracer yelled, moving to the minibot’s side. She had no experience with medical besides basic first aid and gun related injuries, and Cliffjumper didn’t look like he was bleeding so it had to be something with his spark or code! She had to get the mini to medical! 

Before she could lug him up however, a voice yelled, “Don’t jog him!” Looking up, she saw a medic, and thanked Primus above as he came over to examine Cliffjumper. “What happened?” he asked her. 

“He just collapsed!” she said quickly.

“Does he have any previously existing medical conditions?” the medic asked, transforming into his vehicle mode and magnetizing Cliffjumper into him. 

“Not that I know of, but I’m not that close to him.” she said quickly.

“Alright, I’ll take him to medical. Go back to your class.” He said briskly before taking off, leaving a concerned and brushed off Moonracer in his wake. I really need to take some medical classes she thought to herself. 

The medic on the other hand was cursing up a storm as he rushed past some idle students. Figured he’d get himself caught into something stupid on what was supposed to be a break! He just came to get some maintenance on his ship and visit a friend, not to worry about some mini. Speaking of the mini though, his scans had to be glitching. The mini’s spark energy was acting in a way he’d only seen a handful of times before. It was running faster than normal and reaching out to his other systems, forcing them to try and keep up. There could only be one explanation for this kind of reaction…

\---

Cliffjumper woke up to the familiar beeping of a medical monitor. Quickly onlining his optics he groaned and rolled over on his side as the bright lights blinded him. “Ugh Primus why me?” he muttered under his breath. 

“Finally awake kid?” a gruff voice suddenly asked him. Onlining his optics slowly this time, he looked up to find a red and white 256-OZU-004 mold bot, obviously with some ano-cycles on him. He was a medic according to the signs on his shoulder plates, with a broken crest and a missing piece on his arm plate where he could see the wiring underneath. 

Cliffjumper blinked back at him in surprise. He had gotten so used to Percy or Wheeljack that he really wasn’t expecting this new bot. “uh, yeah…who are you?” He asked simply. 

“Ratchet.” The bot said gruffly. 

“What happened?” 

“Well, you’re about to tell me.” Ratchet replied, propping himself against the neighboring berth. “What is it? Syk? Simultronics? Crysmag?”

“What?” Cliffjumper asked, way beyond confused. 

Ratchet, figuring the bot was just playing innocent, angry asked, “What are you using!?”

Cliffjumper stared at the bot in shock, torn between laughing and screaming. The latter won out. “I’M NOT ON DRUGS!” 

“Your spark showed very unusual activity during the scan, it’s running too fast and it throwing all of your other systems out of sync. Now tell me!” Ratchet said with the growl. He couldn’t stand these messed up glitchheads that fragged up their own processors with junk for a few micro-cycles of whatever the frag they wanted. Arcee, a femme he’d met during the Great War, was basically an empty husk, processor wiped clean. If anyone deserved a working processor, she did, but here these fraggers were throwing them away! It pissed him off! 

“I’m not on drugs you Glitchhead!” Cliffjumper yelled back, “It’s a medical condition!” He suddenly noticed the spark monitor spike up. Inside his chassis the sparkling was trying to wrap itself around his frantic spark, trying to calm him down. He was stressing out and it was freaking out the sparkling! 

“What’s the condition? Stupidity?” Ratchet growled back. Glaring at the old bot, Cliffjumper bit his glossa, trying to take deep breaths and trying to get his systems flowing smoothly, like Yoketron had taught him. The sparkling was more important than this old cog! Stepping off the berth, he reached to pull himself out of the medical monitors, only to have his servo gripped in a magnetic field. “And where the frag do you think you’re going?!” Ratchet asked with aggravated disbelief. This little punk actually had the nerve to just pick up and leave!? 

“There’s nothing wrong with me.” Cliffjumper said through gritted teeth. 

“Yes, because it’s completely normal to faint in the middle of hallways!” Ratchet replied sarcastically, before lifting the bot entirely with his magnetism and dropping him back on the berth. 

Cliffjumper sat up with a growl! “Primus Mech! Let me go!” 

“You aren’t going anywhere till I know what’s wrong with you!” 

Rolling his optics with a frown, Cliffjumper reached for his comm. link, only to hear static. He tried again, but got the same result. “You shut off my comm. link?!” Cliffjumper asked in disbelief. No medic had ever shut off his comm. link!

“I had to shut down every system to see what your spark was doing!” Ratchet explained quickly. “who are you trying to call, your fake medic buddy? 

“Call Perceptor and Wheeljack.” Cliffumper replied, trying to keep the growl in his voice to a minimum. 

“What?” Ratchet asked, surprised. Why in the name of Primus would the kid ask for the two top scientists on Cybertron? How did he even know them!? “Why?” 

“They’re my doctors, call them and they’ll explain the situation.” 

“How the frag do you know them?” 

“My medical condition.” 

“And that would be?”

“Would you please just call them!?” Cliffjumper begged angrily, clutching his helm. He could already feel his processor heating up for another headache, making him feel dizzy. 

Sparing a glance at the medical monitors, Ratchet noticed the red mini’s spark rate. It was spiking erratically. “Alright.” He said gruffly, tapping his comm. link to call Wheeljack. Better not to risk it if the kid was telling the truth. 

:Ratchet!: Wheeljack greeted, :You’re back!:

:How’d you know?: Ratchet asked, a bit surprised. He’d just pulled into the base that morning. He had been on his way to see Perceptor and Wheeljack when he’d found the kid. 

:Me and Percy got word that Omega was back, a bit surprised you didn’t drop by to see us though:

:That’s actually why I called. I got a kid here that says he’d got some medical condition you two know about. He won’t tell me what it is.: Ratchet grumbled, glaring at Cliffjumper as he took deep breaths, optics on the spark monitor. From the looks of it, the little hot head was trying to calm himself down. 

:…is he a red minibot?: Wheeljack asked with dread. 

:Yeah...you actually know him?: Ratchet asked with some surprise, he didn’t think the kid was actually telling the truth. 

: Where is he?: 

: The medical bay: 

: We’ll be right there: Wheeljack responded, cutting the call. 

Rachet ignored the smug look on Cliffjumper face as he rearranged his tools and waited for the two bots to arrive. Luckily, it didn’t take very long. Hardly five klicks had passed before Wheeljack and Perceptor entered the Med bay, procured a private room and moved Cliffjumper there. 

The mini went along with it without comment, more than used to the secrecy and sat by quietly as Perceptor and Wheeljack scanned and prodded him quickly. Once they were finished, Ratchet couldn’t hold back his curiosity. “Well?” he asked gruffly, eyeing the special pad Perceptor had pulled out. It was obviously the mini’s medical record and slag if his servos weren’t itching to grab it. 

“Exhaustion, brought on my stress and his medical condition.” Perceptor explained, not even looking up from the pad. 

“Which is?”

“Classified.”

Ratchet growled at the microscope. 

“Come on Percy, we can tell him. If anything he could help us.” Wheeljack intoned with a smile. Perceptor seemed to think about it for a moment, before turning to Cliffjumper, leaving the choice up to him. Cliffjumper glared suspiciously at the bot, prompting Wheeljack to intervene again, “Trust me Cliffjumper, Ratchet is as good as they come, even if he is a gruff.” 

Ratchet folded his arms with a “Humph!” 

Cliffjumper wanted to take Wheeljack’s word for it, but he was far from convinced. He didn’t know slag about this bot and he was supposed to trust him with his secret!? As he continued to stare, the sparkling began to flutter. Looking down at his chassis, he ignored the increased beeping of the monitor to try and feel what the sparkling was doing…it was reaching out to the other bot, sending a flood of warmth through his own spark. The sparkling trusted him…Cliffjumper moodily answered, “fine” while thinking to himself that the sparkling better have a good idea with this. 

Perceptor handed over Cliffjumper’s medical pad to the medic, who instantly began to scan it. His face grew more and more confused with each downward scroll. “You’re carrying?” he asked with awe. 

“His gestation period is almost over.” Perceptor answered. “The sparkling has grown to the point that it is placing extra strain on his other systems. They are unable to keep up and it is exhausting him. The headaches come from trying to regain control over everything. This is the second time something like this has happened. We are hesitant to remove the sparkling any sooner than planned however.” 

“I can understand that, but at this point he should be staying in medical permanently, under observation. Even if he’s got another few mega-cycles before the planned birth date—”

“No! I don’t want to stay in the med bay!’ Cliffjumper suddenly interrupted, before quickly adding, “I still have classes and finals! The symptoms don’t occur often enough to be a problem, I know I can handle them!” 

He didn’t want to be stuck in a medical room any longer than he had too! He was still looking for clues of Galvatron’s disappearance. After he’d figured out where Galvatron would have had to stay, he was able to narrow down which reports to read. Now he was looking for supply lists and trade details to try and find where materials like sparkling-grade energon and armor upgrades were being sent or bought. He didn’t have much free time with finals closing in, but he was slowly but surely working his way through the data reports in the Archives. He also needed to work on a star chart to plot out possible locations. He couldn’t be trapped in the med bay! 

“I don’t know Cliff…” Wheeljack murmured lightly, rubbing his neck, “It might be for the best, I mean, you haven’t exactly been playing it safe recently.”

“I haven’t done anything on purpose!” Cliffjumper barked. “Wheeljack, I’ll go crazy if I have to stay in the med bay till the sparkling comes. I’m taking it as easy as I can! The most strenuous thing I do is walk from class to class.” He added with a small whine. 

After sharing a look with Perceptor, the engineer shrugged in defeat, “Alright…but you’re on light duty. No late nights, no matter how much studying you need to do. You sleep as often as you can, you eat regularly.”

“And I must insist, that if another incident like this occurs, we admit you to the med bay.” Perceptor added, leaving no room for argument. 

Cringing, Cliffjumper nodded. Unless he wanted to be stuck in a berth, he’d better not push it anymore. He’d have to cut back on his micro-cycles in the Archives, but it was better than having no time there at all. “Alright. Can I go now? I’m kind of missing my classes here…” he asked, easing himself down from the berth. 

“We need to check all of your systems again.” Percepter intoned, picking up his scanner. The first scans were clear, but he wanted to go deeper just to be sure everything was really alright. 

Smothering a groan and rolling his optics, Cliffjumper nonetheless sat back down on the medical berth.

“I’ll leave him with you guys then.” Ratchet declared, heading for the door, “I’m gonna go visit Arcee…” he added, optics dimming, faceplate softening into a sad affection. 

When the bot was gone, Cliffjumper asked “Who’s Arcee?” That soft look the bot had gained had surprised him. 

After a moment’s pause, Wheeljack answered softly. “She’s a permanent inmate. She suffered a processor wipe during the Second Great war. Ratchet sort of blames himself for it since it was his EMP generator that caused it.” 

“Oh…” Cliffjumper said softly, staring at the door the bot vanished behind. “Permanent as in…there isn’t a way to cure her?” 

“If there is a way, we haven’t found it…”Wheeljack mumbled. 

Figuring it was a sensitive topic, Cliffjumper opted to ask about something safer. “How do you guys know each other?” 

“You know anything about Project Omega?” Wheeljack asked as he inputted some data in a pad. 

“Yes, we went over it last quarter. Giant guardians you invented to protect the Great Cities, right? Weren’t they all decommissioned?” Cliffjumper replied, brushing off some dust from his chassis. 

“Officially, yes.” Perceptor explained, joining in the conversation. “Ratchet is the guardian of the last remaining Omega, Omega Supreme. The bot’s processor is offline, but his body functions as a transport vessel. Ratchet takes care of it and often stops by for maintenance.”

“No crew? What does he do?” Cliffjumper asked, a bit confused. 

“He’s like a traveling medic. He goes around to the smaller colonies providing medical care, delivering supplies and picking up any civilian bots that want to join up in the main branch.” 

“Sounds...exciting…?” Cliffjumper questioned. He wasn’t really sure how to respond to a job like that. 

“It suits him fine.” Wheeljack added with a small chuckle. “He’s a pretty solitary bot.” 

“And a very capable medic…He was right. Your body is under too much strain at the moment. Your systems are attempting to adjust to the sparkling’s rapidly increasing size while preparing for the birth and maintaining your normal routine. It is too much at once. You are spending the night here.” Perceptor declared. Adding, before Cliffjumper could speak, “No arguing. It’s one night or the rest of your carrying period. No studying either. Your systems need the opportunity to right themselves. Rest and energon, understood?” he asked with a hard look. 

“Yes…”Cliffjumper answered glumly. 

“We will admit you to the med bay two cycles before your due date, just to be safe.” The microscope added, leaving no room for argument as picked up his equipment and headed out the door. Cliffjumper groaned. 

“Come Cliff, you can do this!” Wheeljack cheered, “It’s only three mega-cycles now.” With a carefree wave, he followed Perceptor, leaving the mini alone with his thoughts.   
For a strange moment he wondered about Ratchet. If he loved that femme Arcee, and what it must feel like, to only have an empty shell. It sounded spark-breaking. Cliffjumper could see how he’d become so grumpy if that was how it was. And then his mind went to Galvatron. Was he going to be like that? Insane beyond recognition? A husk of his former self? His spark clenched into itself at the thought. Was it better that then death though? What if Galvatron couldn’t be cured, like Arcee couldn’t be cured? What would he do then?   
Shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts, Cliffjumper grabbed the remote control on his side table, clicking on the TV hanging on the wall. If he was stuck here, he’d just as well waste his time watching mindless cartoons or soap operas than worrying. He couldn’t predict the future or how he’d act when the time came. He just had to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. But he was certain of one thing. He’d find out what happened to Galvatron, good or bad. 

End chapter 54


	55. The Birth

It was a mega-cycle till the end of Cliffjumper’s short and quick educational career. His was in the midst of finals week. Not including the one he and Sentinel had just finished, there were only two more to go and if he passed them he would graduate with enough classroom knowledge to enter a high level job in Cybertronian Intelligence. 

Cliffjumper walked with Sentinel towards back to the dorms, mostly ignoring the larger blue bot as he ranted on and on about his promotion. Sentinel had become a Minor this ano-cycle, like Kup, though he didn’t have a tenth of experience. Sentinel had been at the Academy almost a giga-cycle, Kup has lived for over 10 thousand vorns. It was amazing what an Academy education replaced. Now, Sentinel could teach recruits and he was looking forward to the cadets worshiping him. His first group would come off the assembly line at the end of the ano-cycle or transfer into the academy from civilian status. Optimus and Elita-1 had been made Minors as well, since they were all molded in the same Ano-cycle. Aside from teaching cadets, they were also authorized to travel off planet for scouting missions. Cliffjumper was sure Elita-1 would enjoy that, as Optimus would enjoy leading others. It would help give him some confidence. 

But while Cliffjumper was glad for them, he didn’t feel like himself. His chassis had felt very heavy and full when he had woken up but he had felt so energized he had been positive there was light slipping out of his seams until he checked in the mirror. While the feeling was a regular thing now, the heaviness usually faded after a few mico-cyles, especially if he did some special stretches Yoketron had taught him, which he did. But the heaviness was still there. It was as though he was trying to walk across the bottom of an ocean. Now he was feeling sore and it had him in a sour mood. Hadn’t he spent a night and day in the med bay to sort this kind of thing out? 

The sparkling was expected to come in two megacycles, or at least that what he kept telling himself. He wasn’t completely sure when the sparkling’s real due date was, since it’d technically been conceived a least a mega-cycle before he was “raped” by Galvatron. Cliffjumper was more than worried that the sparkling would be too early, or too late.   
Then, a sudden pain tore through him, cutting off whatever Sentinel was saying with a sharp yelp. For a second, if felt as if his spark had literally split in half! He paused for a moment in the hall, petting his chassis, taking deep intakes, trying to figure out what the slag that just was, ignoring Sentinel’s questions. 

And then it happened again and a gasp of pain flowed from his vocalizer as he fell to his knees, clutching at his chest. It was suddenly very hard to breath, but he couldn’t move. His systems were stunned from the pain. He barely registered Sentinel kneeling down next to him, shouting concerns and haggard questions but he could only reply with gasps and whimpers as he smothered cries and curled into himself, hugging his chassis, trying to keep his spark inside. It felt worse than a shot through a joint, and that had happened before so he knew! 

“What’s happening!?” he wondered for a second before another ripple of pain shot through him and he realized, “Oh primus, the sparkling’s trying to come out…!” Another pulse hit, making him cry in agony on the floor of the hall. “They NEVER said it would hurt so much! PRIMUS!” Perceptor said it would probably feel like a tugging sensation on his spark as the sparkling pulled away, perhaps like the jolts he got when the sparkling was testy, but this was not mentioned! At all! 

“Cliffjumper!” Sentinel shouted next to him, scared out of his spark, “Cliffjumper what’s wrong?! Talk to me!” He had never heard of or seen anything like this before. Afraid to even touch the bot, his servos hovered uselessly over the mini, shaking. He was about to ping Optimus for help when Cliffjumper looked up at him. 

“C-call A-A-Alpha T-Trion!” Cliffjumper finally managed to whimper out between ripples, and Sentinel suddenly remembered that he was Cliffjumper’s guard and had been given Alpha Trion’s number just for such an event! 

: Sentinel? What’s going on? : Alpha Trion asked through the link, confused. 

:Alpha Trion sir! Something’s wrong with Cliffjumper and he told me to call you!: Sentinel explained hastily, gaze still on the red minibot as he twisted in pain on the ground. 

He heard a gasp before Alpha Trion jumper into action. :Where are you?: he asked. Sentinel could hear his footsteps echo in whatever hallway he was in. 

:The far east hallway, near the spec. ops classroom: Sentinel said quickly, glancing around. Most students were in other finals or back home already! 

:We’ll be right there! Tell Cliff to hold on—: and the line cut off.

Sentinel whispered the reassurances to Cliffjumper, who was clutching his chassis. The sound of multiple peds running towards them reached Sentinel’s audios a few moments later. He looked up from his crouched position to stare at Alpha Trion coming with Perceptor and Wheeljack in tow, a medical berth being tugged along behind them. As he jumped out of the way, the three bots worked to pull the pain-riddled minibot out of his curled position and onto the berth. When Wheeljack finally managed to position him correctly, they pushed the berth towards the medical ward, Perceptor injecting something into Cliffjumper as they ran. Sentinel followed hastily. 

Soon, they entered the medical ward and headed towards one of the private rooms. Wheeljack cut off from them at the door, heading for the lab to pick up the protoform. Sentinel was locked out at the room’s entrance. 

Inside, Perceptor gave Cliffjumper instructions and filled in information on his medical file. “Take deep even intakes Cliffjumper. Try not to tense or curl up”  
Gripping the sheets desperately, Cliffjumper retorted weakly, “easy for you to say! Feels like I’m splitting open and my spark’s trying to fly out.”

Preceptor wrote that down. Alpha Trion stood at the berthside, praying to primus and trying to offer Cliff some silent comfort, a servo to hold. Instead, the mini-bot clawed up the sheets and gritted his denta. 

The door clicked open and Wheeljack popped in with the protoform and a nurse. Sentinel managed to sneak a peek at the pained mini before the door shut again. 

“The protoform is here Cliffjumper. Open your chassis so we can begin the spark separation procedure.” Preceptor said as he picked up his tools. 

“Isn’t it too early!?” Cliffjumper cried. “You said the buffer zone was a mega-cycle! He’s two mega-cycles early!” he yelled, trying to keep his chassis closed.

“There isn’t anything we can do Cliffjumper” Wheeljack said frantically. “The sparkling is just ready to come out!”

Sending a prayer to Primus, Cliff finally gave into to the feeling and allowed his chest plate to open, bathing them all in the blue glow of his spark. The nurse held the protoform ready as Perceptor prodded at his spark with a tool. Another scream escaped him as he cursed Percy, Primus, Decepticons and everything else he could think of as the little spark pulled away from his, apparently deciding to take a chunk of his spark with it if his feelings were right. The bright tiny white light with small tints of silver slowly floated away from him, thin blue trials from his own spark threading towards it, desperate to keep in touch, to pull it back. Instead, it drifted away with Perceptor as he placed it in the protoform, and Cliff felt a bit emptier inside as he collapsed and ignored the pain lingering in his systems to watch the newspark. 

Panting heavily against the berth, Cliffjumper followed the nurse handling his sparkling with his optics, Perceptor having moved back to his datapad. He watched as she carefully made sure it was correctly and completely connected with his protoform. Its plating was already changing color and molding into shape and it began to wriggle and start to cry.   
With a small whimper and a sigh of relief, Cliffjumper tried to reach out for it, his spark calling out to sooth and comfort his sparkling. With a soft smile (if his eyes were any indication) Wheeljack propped his berth up a little so he could sit up, before the nurse softly placed the sparkling in his arms. “It’s a perfect little mech!” she whispered with joy. With a happy sigh and a tired smile he cooed at the new-spark as he quieted down, taking in the warmth of his spark. 

He was red, like Cliffjumper, with small sensory horns on the top of his head and some audio fins on each side of his chubby little faceplate. But his face…even when he onlined his beautiful bright blue optics, which Cliffjumper thanked primus for, he could easily recognize Galvatron’s face. It was rounder, sure, but the high dark cheek plates and forehead were defiantly his. 

Perceptor had started filling out the padwork again, occasionally scanning the two bots on the berth for the information. 

Moving towards the dozing bots, the nurse placed a soft servo on Cliffjumper’s shoulder, startling him for a moment. “Do you have a name for him?” she asked softly so as not to awaken the snoozing sparkling. She’d been hand-picked by Perceptor and Wheeljack to help with this very special procedure, sworn to secrecy, she’d also be babysitting the sparkling, but that wasn’t until later. 

Cliffjumper looked shocked for a moment. He had never thought of a name. Had never really thought about what it would be like when he actually held the newspark in his servos. Looking down at the baby, his mind wandered back to when he first met Galvatron and the name he had used when he pretended to be a neutral, the bot he’s first fallen in love with…“Axle…tron” Cliffjumper murmured, “his name is Axletron…” This little bot was at least half of Galvatron’s. Cliffjumper was proud and happy for that. 

With a nod, the nurse filled it in on the pad, but Alpha Trion frowned slightly from his corner as he watched the two red bots fall into recharge and the other three clean up. He had not expected this. Was Cliffjumper cursing the boy with such a name? Was it a reminder of the attack? It couldn’t be with the way the minibot held the boy. He obviously cared for him. Was it a tribute? If it was, what did it mean? He didn’t know where he came up with the name Axle, but –“tron”…that was…odd. “tron” was really only added to the names of military bots…or Decepticons. Did he just like the name? Could it be more than that…?

The aged bot stepped out of the room with the others when they finished. Sentinel had remained throughout the procedure, shifting nervously by the door. 

“Sentinel Mino-?”

“Oh thank Primus! Is Cliff alright?” Sentinel asked hastily. 

Perceptor spared him a glance before sending Wheeljack a flat look and heading for his lab. Wheeljack rolled his optics, but took pity on the poor bot. “Yeah, Cliffjumper’s just fine.” 

“What happened? He said he had a medical condition, was it an attack or a-” Wheeljack put a hand up to cut the panicking bot off. 

“He’s medical condition is all cleared up, but he needs rest right now. You can visit him later.” With that, Wheeljack headed off to find Percy, leaving a confused and relieved Sentinel Minor in his wake. 

End chapter 55

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super Important Note: Axletron belongs to Drago-Night! He’s over on DeviantArt! He is not mine! I make no claim on him!


	56. First Sign

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art for this chapter can be found here: http://drago-night.deviantart.com/gallery/25760338?offset=24#/d2teonj

…They thought he was asleep. By all accounts he should be, considering how exhausted he still was, even after a full day of rest. 

Axletron had been given his helmet that morning. It was a regular helmet, the standard all sparklings got, back when they had still been common. Made from the same protomatter that made up protoforms, it would merge to the sparkling and form a unique shape for them especially. Since sparklings were so fragile, and their processors still developing, the helmet was a must. 

Wheeljack and Perceptor had spent deca-cycles recreating one from schematics and broken examples of the originals, since they didn’t exist anymore! No one had expected what would happen when they gave it to the sparkling however. It had worked, true… but Axletron’s had merged right into a battle helm, like his father’s and his half-brother’s. It had shocked everyone in the room into silence. The helmet was sharp-angled, with an audio vent that went around his helm and a strong facial border that jutted out to protect his high cheeks just like Galvatron’s and Megatron’s, though Cliffjumper horns were in there too. The way all the bots had stared at Axletron after that it was like the sparkling had killed a bot right in front of them. The worst part was that Highbrow had come to visit him too, probably to get a good look at the sparkling for a profile picture, Cliffjumper thought grumpily. 

Now, he could hear them whispering outside and he knew it would only be the first of many whispered conversations. Would this follow Axel throughout his life? Would he be sneered at? Distrusted? Hated? Primus forbid! 

The pacing shadow of Highbrow passed repeatedly over the fogged glass doors of his room as he spoke in a harsh whisper, “We should have terminated that sparkling when we had the chance! He’s got Decepticon coding in him!” Cliffjumper glared at the shadow, clutching Axel closer to himself. Just let the slaghead try! Cliffjumper would rip his spark out! 

Alpha Trion stood tall and still by his door. It almost look liked he was guarding him as he spoke up, “He has Autobot coding as well! And he’s the last sparkling to have actually been sparked! Can you even remember when such a thing last happened successfully! Even before the war! It’s a sign!”

The other shadow stopped pacing, drooping tiredly, “A sign of what Alpha Trion?”

“Of change! Of hope…I see the true end of the war in this sparkling…” he said cryptically. 

“…Even so, what if he turns out to be a spark-less monster like his father…?”

“If he is not raised spark-less, he will not be spark-less…” Alpha Trion replied softly, placing a hand on the other bot’s shoulder. “Now come. I doubt you’ve refueled today.” Highbrow hesitated, a servo reaching for the door handle. Alpha Trion pulled him away. “Leave the bot be. The child poses no threat.” They both made their way towards what Cliff assumed was the exit, or a refueling station. He hadn’t seen much outside this room since he was first admitted. 

Looking at Axletron recharging in his arms, nuzzling one of his fingers, he cooed against the new helm, whispering softly, “Don’t listen to any of them sweetspark…your father wasn’t a spark-less monster…”

Cliffjumper knew that better than anything now. With a heavy sigh, he looked towards the window, past the city’s lights and at the stars. 

After he learned that Galvatron was gone, Cliffjumper had tried to erase him, to forget him and wipe away what they had as a traitorous and pointless folly, not worth remembering because Galvatron had started it with the goal of gaining information. When he’d learned of Galvatron’s fall into insanity and efforts to find him, he moved past his hurt to look for the fallen warlord. He was still doing so. He didn’t know if the bot was alive, but he really hoped he was. It may seem selfish, or unrealistic, but when Cliffjumper held Axletron in his arms, he wished Galvatron was there with him too. There to see his son and share in the utter joy and warmth Cliffjumper felt whenever he even thought of the sparkling. Cliffjumper was so grateful to the Decepticon. Grateful that he had given him the little sparkling in his arms. Their time together hadn’t been a lie or a stupid fancy. The truth of their love was sleeping soundly right now. 

Galvatron had given Cliffjumper his spark and Axletron. And because Galvatron attacked him, he was able to have this sparkling now, when it was safe, where he could have a future. Galvatron really had saved them...

His spark soared inside his chassis, free of the regret and sadness he had held ever since he woke up. He thanked Primus for letting him meet Galvatron. And for better or worse, even if the bot was dead or alive, Cliffjumper wouldn’t stop until he learned the truth. He certainly owed the bot that. With a lighter spark, Cliff joined his sparkling in recharge. 

End chapter 56


	57. Ultra Visit

Cliffjumper and Axletron were stuck in the hospital for a mega-cycle. Perceptor and Alpha Trion wouldn’t let them out any earlier. That meant Cliffjumper would be missing his two remaining finals. He was going to have to take them as soon as he was discharged so, instead of going to the library and continuing his Galvatron search, he got to spend his days studying with Axletron, which was actually pretty nice. He couldn’t get enough of the little bot, every time he looked at the sparkling his spark just swelled with joy! 

He was a lot like he was as a spark, only now Cliffjumper could actually touch and see him. He was a quiet sparkling most of the time, sleeping a lot and studying everything he saw silently when he was awake. He got fussy too though. When he was alone in his cradle or hungry he would whimper and start crying, reaching for Cliffjumper or his bottle. He was still very attached to Cliffjumper and liked being near him as often as possible, but he was a social bot, curious about every bot and noise that filtered past the doors, and of course he still had that sweet tooth. 

Wheeljack had created a semi-sweet sparkling formula just for him and after Axel had gotten the first taste from the bottle he had been so happy he had trembled with the feeling. He loved Wheeljack after that, smiling when he came near and intrigued by the lights on his helm because Wheeljack would blink them in different colors for him. Axel was just such a sweet bot, never mind what Highbrow Prime had said before! Any bot that met him would fall in love with him, Cliffjumper could already tell! He just had that kind of spark. 

Right now though, Axletron was sleeping in his cradle, clutching the plain white hospital blanket in his tiny servo. Cliffjumper had his lap and side table full of data pads when he heard a soft knock at his door. “Come in” Cliffjumper said softly, trying not to wake Axletron. 

The door opened to reveal a surprisingly nervous looking Ultra Magnus. Cliffjumper dropped his stylus in astonishment. He just managed to stop himself from shouting an appropriate greeting, saluting respectfully and whispering a polite “hello, Ultra Magnus, sir.” A soft gesture and smile from the tall bot let him return at ease. “What are you doing here sir? Not that I don’t appreciate the visit.” He added quickly. 

“No, I understand it is quite a surprise. Despite being aware of your condition and progression, I’ve never had the opportunity to see how you were fairing personally.” Ultra Magnus said with a bit of shame. 

“No! I understand completely Ultra Magnus, Sir! You’ve got your servos full running and protecting the planet!” Cliffjumper didn’t expect or want special treatment! If anything he was lucky his superiors didn’t pay attention to him, or who knows where he’d be after his relationship with Galvatron, let alone his search for the warlord! “Really Sir! Don’t spare it any thought!” he said with finality. “Want to see the sparkling?” he added with a soft smile. He did kind of want to show Axletron off, to those he could at least.   
Ultra Magnus nodded, a small spark appearing in his worn out optics, “If it’s alright…”

“Oh sure! Axle here loves attention!” Cliffjumper added with a smile, moving his pads off the berth so he could get out and pick up the still napping Axletron from his cradle. “Sit right on down Ultra Magnus.” He said, gesturing to the guest chair by the berth. Axletron was tiny by most bot’s standards, fitting comfortably in Cliffjumper’s arms. A big bot like Ultra Magnus could fit Axletron in his servo easily. It was still hard for Cliffjumper to believe that he could grow to be as big as Galvatron, a bot equal in size to Ultra Magnus! “Ultra Magnus, meet Axletron” he said with a happy smile, showing off the bundled baby transformer. 

“Axletron…?” Ultra Magnus repeated with a soft look. The sparkling had Cliffjumper’s horns and paint color, but Ultra Magnus could see his father in his faceplate too, at least until those large blue optics opened. The sparkling woke up at his name, staring up at Ultra Magnus for several tense moments before grinning and reaching a small servo up in greeting. Ultra Magnus’ spark melted as he reached out a single giant finger to the sparkling; who eagerly grabbed it and tried to shake it. It had been eons since he had seen a real living sparkling. He had forgotten how…miraculous they were… how the light of the All Spark seemed to glow in their optics. “He’s beautiful” he whispered subconsciously. 

“I think so too” Cliffjumper said with a smile. 

Axletron sneezed suddenly, letting go of Ultra Magnus’ figure to rub at his optics and reach for the broken folds of his blanket. Ultra Magnus suddenly recalled a special package in his shoulder compartment. Snapping it open, he pulled out a new blue blanket with a dark blue border. “Here Cliffjumper” he said holding the blanket out to the mini, “a small birthday gift for him.”

Cliffjumper quickly wrapped Axletron in his new blanket; much to the sparkling’s delight. Axel cooed into the blanket, giggling at the softness and nibbling on a corner, making both his mother and Ultra Magnus laugh. “Thanks Ultra Magnus, it’s perfect for him. Just wait, he’s gonna be calling you Grandpa Magnus before long.”

That made Ultra Magnus laugh in a way he hadn’t done in ano-cycles; deep sparkful laughs that seemed to wash giga-cycles off his faceplate. “I look forward to that” he said with a final chuckle. “It is good to see a sparkling again…He makes me feel…hopeful again…I’d forgotten what it felt like….”

“You used to say, “never abandon hope,” Ultra Magnus.” Cliffjumper said, remembering all of the pre-battle speeches and post-defeat words of encouragement. Ultra Magnus had always been there to rally the troops. Even if he was injured, if he was able to walk, he’d talk to them. He always gone on and on about the future, how they couldn’t leave it to fate but had to actively work to change it for the better. He’d expressed hope for peace just as often as he expressed hope for understanding or compromise or justice, whatever the situation called for. But it was obvious that he’d lost that old enthusiasm. He led with a cold regard now, detached, almost hard, like he wasn’t able to feel as much anymore. 

After a tense silent moment of Ultra Magnus staring at the floor, Axletron reached out a servo again, waving it haphazardly in the air, his tiny fingers wiggling. Ultra Magnus reached out his servo again, letting the sparkling nibble on his finger. “Yes…I remember…I suppose…I suppose I just forgot...”

Falling silent again, Axletron’s wet nibbling the only sound in the room, Cliffjumper felt he had to say something. “…Well, now that Axletron’s here, I’m sure he’ll remind you every now and then.” Cliffjumper said softly.

Almost as though he was agreeing, Axletron suddenly let out a pleased yell, like he’d been tickled and nuzzled against the huge blue and white servo, hugging as much as he could reach and making the two larger bots laugh. 

They spent the better part of the next mega-cycle showering Axletron in attention. One thing was certain. Ultra Magnus and Cliffjumper wouldn’t definitely be seeing more of each other, not only for work, but for Axletron too. But all too soon, it was time for Ultra Magnus to return to work. 

Before Ultra Magnus walked out the door however, he stopped. After a moment of indecision, he shut it and turned back to ask Cliffjumper a question that had bothered him since the mini had first agreed to their plan. “Why did you agree to go into stasis to save this sparkling. How can you accept that sparkling like his conception didn’t matter? Like he isn’t his father’s son?”

Cliffjumper looked to Ultra Magnus for a moment before turning back to his sparkling. “…Because it’s not his fault…” Cliffjumper said simply, optics on Axletron. “He didn’t choose to be born and he didn’t choose his parents…just because his father was a Decepticon doesn’t meant he’ll be one too…I may not have been around long Ultra Magnus but I’ve learned that bot’s aren’t born branded. We all have a choice. You chose, I chose, I just want Axletron to be able to choose too…” he said softly, thinking about how his siblings could prove that on their own. He was an Autobot, his sister a Con, he brother a scientist that died a hero. They had all been raised in the same house, by the same parents in the same way, yet they all took such different paths. They were all different bots and even he had changed. All bots changed. All bots had a choice. Axletron did too. 

“…Why Axle-tron?” Ultra Magnus asked, curious. 

“…it’s probably not going to make any sense” Cliffjumper said evasively. “but…I couldn’t have had Axletron without Galvatron doing what he did. He played a part in this and even though it was…cruel…I got Axletron. And right now, I really can’t blame Galvatron because…well…Axletron’s an angel! I don’t know how I lasted so long without him. He’s…he’s like the sun after a hard night. He makes me feel hopeful and warm…and…happy...It’s hard to explain…” he mumbled, frowning. Cliffjumper wasn’t a bot of many words or deep emotions. He didn’t ‘talk about his feelings.’ He solved his problems with his fists. 

Ultra Magnus knew that, and more than appreciated the effort the mini put into explaining, because odd as it was, he understood. The mini had moved on; had let Galvatron’s rape go. Ultra Magnus was glad there was no bitterness against the father, if only because it would keep Axletron from experiencing any either. No, Ultra Magnus could already tell. Axletron was going to be spoiled by his mother, loved to the core. A prize for the future, instead of a chain to the past. 

“And Axel?” he asked finally. 

Cliffjumper smiled at that question. “Axel was the one bot I really loved. We didn’t end well…” he said sadly, “but I’m still happy for what we did have. I want Axletron to be like him. I want him to be a good bot, no matter what he chooses to do.”  
U  
ltra Magnus smiled. “I hope to see you both again soon. Good day Cliffjumper” Ultra Magnus said softly, nodding goodbye as he closed the door. Ultra Magnus was moved, almost inspired. It seemed his whole life revolved around the past. Perhaps it really was time to invest in the future again. 

End chapter 57


	58. Good Friends

Cliffjumper wasn’t asleep, but the sparkling was. The mini was curled around his napping sparkling, watching as he took soft intakes, enjoying the peace…at least until the door slammed open, snapping the sparkling awake with a start. 

Sentinel stomped through the door, panting harshly, “How dare you not tell me about this illness!” he yelled, even as the nurse that had helped him during the birth rolled into the room right behind him with a look of horror on her faceplate. 

The nurse was named E.R. She had the same body type as Lickety-split, the waitress at Macadam’s, only red and white with the medical symbols on her shoulder pads. She had been helping Cliffjumper with Axletron and once he started his job in the Intel Office, she would help babysit him. She was a kind bot, very open and friendly. When at work, she rolled around from place to place, carrying on a chipper conversation with Cliffjumper and cooing at Axletron every chance she got. Axel liked her, and had a lot of fun watching her roll around on her tire peds. 

But even her shiny wheels didn’t distract him from Sentinel’s bellowing. “You never said you could have an attack like that! How am I supposed to guard you if I don’t know everything?!”

Cliffjumper glared at him over his shoulder as he ranted. The sparkling began to whimper and tear up as Sentinel continued to shout. “Will you be quiet!” he whispered harshly.

“Sir, you have to leave.” E.R. tried to order, rolling to a stop in front of Sentinel. 

“Why should I?!” Sentinel shouted back, ignoring the nurse. “I’ve been quiet for a mega-cycle! A MEGA-CYCLE of nothing! For all I know you could have died! Why should I be quiet about that!?” Sentinel shouted again. 

Axletron’s cries were his answer. With another glare, Cliffjumper sat up and let Sentinel see the crying bundle in his arms as he began to rock it softly, trying to calm in down from its abrupt wake up call. Axletron reached out a little servo towards Cliffjumper and Sentinel could only stare in shock at the tiny hand as the nurse tried to push him back. He had never seen a sparkling before, but he had heard stories from Kup and some of the older bots. Even Optimus knew a few prewar stories about them. Even though he knew what they looked like, he couldn’t believe his optics. “What…what is that…?”

“None of your business!” E.R. replied with some anger. 

“It’s ok” Cliffjumper called out to the nurse. “He’s a friend of mine.” She stared back at him with a look of disbelief. He looked back apologetically, “a really forward, stubborn friend of mine.”

Sparing them both another glance, E.R. let go of Sentinel and turned back to the door. “I’ll be right outside if you need anything” She said to Cliffjumper, who nodded back gratefully.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Cliffjumper turned to glare at Sentinel. “I knew you weren’t much for patience, but I had hoped you could last one more cycle.” He said. Cliffjumper and Axletron were set to be discharged the next morning. Sentinel continued to glare back at him, but the mini could see a spot of shame in his optics, so with a sigh he sat up completely and gestured Sentinel over to see the sparkling. “This…” Cliffjumper said softly as Sentinel eagerly loomed over him to see, “…is Axletron. My son.”

“Your…son?” Sentinel could only ask dumbly. 

Cliffjumper nodded with a light smirk, looking lovingly back to his little sparkling. Axel was staring curiously at Sentinel, bright dewy blue optics blinking, blanket wrapped around his helmet, so that only his face peeked out. 

“I was carrying” Cliffjumper explained. 

“Your…medical condition?” Sentinel asked. When Cliffjumper nodded in the affirmative he asked, “Why didn’t you tell me…?”

“It wasn’t important. You didn’t need to know to do your job.” Cliffjumper said simply, dancing around the issue. 

“That’s not fair. We’re…we’re friends aren’t we?” Sentinel asked, hurt. He had trusted this bot. He never lied to him about how he felt or acted like someone he wasn’t around him. He tested the bot a few times, sure, but he thought it was all in good fun. The only other bots he was so honest with, the only others he trusted so completely were his team mates, Optimus and Elita. 

“Yes!” Cliffjumper said vehemently “Of course we’re friends Sentinel! We are!” Sentinel had been there for him since he woke up. Helped him with anything he needed, no matter how much he complained or moaned about it. Even with all his faults and attitude, he was a good friend. “I just…I didn’t want to tell anybody I didn’t have to. I didn’t want to have to explain him to bots.” Cliffjumper said looking back to Axletron and remembering what Highbrow had said about him. He turned to look seriously at Sentinel. “You can’t tell anyone about him Sentinel. Not a single spark.” He said flatly, look Sentinel in the optic. 

“Why not?” Sentinel asked, a bit concerned with Cliffjumper’s seriousness. “He’s the first sparkling in millennia!…why wouldn’t you want anyone to know about him…?”

“…You have to promise not to tell anyone. Absolutely no one else can know. Can you promise me that?” Cliffjumper asked, making sure the blanket still hid Axletron’s new helmet. Sentinel remained silent for a moment, really thinking about his answer. 

Looking to the sparkling and back to Cliffjumper he nodded. “I swear on my spark, I won’t tell anyone.” He said, placing his servo over his spark. 

Cliffjumper prayed to Primus this wasn’t a mistake before he motioned to remove the sparkling’s blanket, “don’t freak out, ok…?” He pulled the blanket away to reveal Axletron’s complete face and helmet. When Sentinel saw the helmet’s shape, he had to keep himself from screaming in shock. 

The kid! The kid looked like Megatron! Even with the red paintjob and the blue optics and the sensory horns, it looked like Megatron! A tiny baby Megatron! Every bit of Autobot in Sentinel rebelled against the kid. He had been created to fear that face. To fight against it! But a small voice in the back of his processor yelled at him for such thoughts. This was Cliffjumper’s kid, one of his closest friends. He made a promise, but that didn’t stop him from speaking his mind. “He looks like Megatron…”

“I know.” Cliffjumper said sadly. “They share the same father.”

“This kid is Galvatron’s?” Sentinel asked in shock, “How did that happen?”

Cliffjumper looked away, sadness flittering in his optics, “It certainly wasn’t planned.” Taking a hint, Sentinel let it drop. He could fill in the blanks well enough anyway. An Autobot having the sparkling of a Con? It could only have been rape. Cliffjumper was a mini, Galvatron was huge, Cliff could hardly have done anything to stop it. But then that brought of up the question of why the mini would want to keep the sparkling. “Why would you want to keep him? He’s the son of a Con…”

Cliffjumper groaned and rolled his optics. He held Axletron out to Sentinel, making the tall blue bot panic and step away. “He’s a sparkling Sentinel! He doesn’t even know what Decepticons or Autobots are!”

Axletron cooed and giggled, reaching out towards Sentinel. The blue bot tentatively reached a finger out towards him, “It’s in his code isn’t it…?” he asked softly. 

“Sentinel…bots aren’t born Autobot or Decepticon.” Cliffjumper explained, trying to be patient on the rookie. “Otherwise we’d be born with brands instead of having them stuck onto our chassis when we’ve finished training.” 

Sentinel still looked dubious, even as Axletron gripped his finger. He’d never heard that before. As soon as he was forged, he’d been orientated as an Autobot, had his sigil painted on and enrolled into the Academy. Sure it wasn’t there the moment he became aware, but he was raised an Autobot…surely that had to mean something. He couldn’t walk away from all he’d ever known. 

Axletron blinked his big blue optics at him, smiling and trying to nibble on his finger. But…maybe he could make an exception for this little bot. Cliffjumper smiled, he could already see the blue bot crumble; Axletron had a real talent for worming his way into bot’s sparks. 

End chapter 58


	59. A New Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art for this chapter can be found here: http://drago-night.deviantart.com/gallery/25760338?offset=24#/d2tenqi

The house was bigger than any Cliffjumper had ever been in; especially for only two bots. Houses like this were mostly for government officials like Primes and council members, along with any rich folks with government ties. Even though Cliff understood the need for privacy now that he had Axletron, the old working miner part of him wouldn’t quit ranting about the waste of space and the perks the elite got. As though he didn’t hold enough guilt already, by keeping his and Galvatron’s affair a secret and letting everyone think it was rape.   
Still, the red mini kept his mouth shut as he followed Alpha Trion through the front gate   
“This is where you and your sparkling will be staying from now on Cliffjumper” Alpha Trion said as he opened the door. Cliffjumper walked in cautiously, the sparkling in his arms still sleeping from the ride over from the medical bay. They’d been released that morning. He was scheduled to make up his finals this afternoon, while E.R. watched Axletron in their new home. The house was already furnished with plush chairs and couches, rounded desks and cabinets. There wasn’t a sharp angle or glass figure in the place. Seemed the designers had kept the baby in mind when they picked everything out. 

“Thank you Alpha Trion…” Cliffjumper said softly as he took everything in. Everything seemed huge to him, even more so being a mini. “…are you sure this isn’t a little…overkill…?” He asked lightly. This didn’t feel like him. Him would be a small middle-class apartment, not this hoity-toity gated neighborhood. 

“If I could Cliffjumper, I would have you two living in the center of the command center, but that may be a bit too much.” The elder council member laughed lightly. “I just want you two to be a safe as possible. And besides, I’m sure Axle will grow into quite a large bot. Better to have the space now yes?” 

Alpha Trion always referred to Axletron as Axle, almost refusing to acknowledge his father in his name, but Cliffjumper didn’t push it. Why bring up bad questions? It was risky taking the name on anyway, but Cliffjumper wanted to thank Galvatron for his sparkling, even if it was in a small way. 

“…I suppose so.” Cliffjumper mumbled, looking at the tiny bot in his arms. He had woken up and was curiously taking in everything in the room. To think he could grow as big as Galvatron. “Thank you again Sir…for everything.”

Smiling lightly, Alpha Trion nodded and patted Cliffjumper on the back. “I’ll let you get settled in. Good day Cliffjumper.” The taller bot set the entry card in a bowl on a table by the door as he walked out, leaving Cliffjumper and his sparkling alone in the new empty house. 

“Bye Alpha Trion…”

As the older bot left, Cliffjumper looked around the other rooms. Everything felt giant to him, but he supposed they would both grow into the new house. Axletron at least liked his room, though he wouldn’t be using it until he was a bit bigger. It had light blue walls, soft lights and a big crib. Cliffjumper’s own room had an enormous bed. Cliffjumper himself felt like a youngling in it. He’d have to get something smaller. 

He’d have to get a few stools too; several shelves and cabinets were out of his reach. He wondered if Galvatron would have liked it here. Everything in the house was meant for a military bot, someone huge and powerful just like him. Maybe it would seem too homey or confining…or maybe it would be just right for them. He’d probably like the huge bed, but as for the rest…he didn’t know. 

Still, Cliffjumper would work hard to make it a home for him and Axletron. 

End chapter 59


	60. So Many Plans

Now that Axletron had been born, Alpha Trion was working on a plan; a plan that had first formed itself in that meeting room all those vorns ago, when he had first learned that Cliffjumper was carrying Galvatron’s heir. There had been some necessary adjustments, in light of a few unforeseen developments, but the premise had remained the same. 

Alpha Trion was well aware that the Decepticons were still out there, alive under Megatron’s rule. This was a triumph in itself, considering how far their forces were out matched and outnumbered, yet Megatron continued to lead them. Alpha Trion knew the grey warlord’s control and power stemmed from Galvatron’s own role in the creation of the Decepticons. It was more than obvious that the reason the Decepticons initially and insistently followed Megatron was because he was his father’s son. They supposed the energon apple didn’t fall far from the tree and from the way the Decepticon army had persisted, Alpha Trion couldn’t deny they had a point. But that loyalty to Galvatron and his legacy could be used to benefits the Autobots as well…

Axletron had the right to challenge Megatron for control of the Decepticons as Galvatron’s original spark heir. A single glance was enough to show the strength of Galvatron’s code in the young bot and any Decepticon worth his energon would be a fool to ignore it. Alpha Trion had not considered the birth of Megatron, but it didn’t change the fact that Axletron had as much a claim on his father’s army as his half-brother. But there would be one great difference between them: Axletron would be raised by Autobots.   
To Alpha Trion, the sparkling was the key to true peace. He’d felt it when he was first conceived and he was even more certain of it now. A sparkling born of an Autobot and a Decepticon had to have a greater purpose, a fate decided by Primus, and Alpha Trion was certain he knew what that fate was. 

With the proper training, Axletron could defeat Megatron, take control of his armies and order the Decepticons to disband once and for all, truly ending this war. Alpha Trion just had to be sure the sparkling was raised to the best of his potential. He would have to be a true warrior to even compare to Megatron, knowledgeable in history and science and he must live by the Autobot code. It would be difficult…but Alpha Trion was certain he could mold the bot for the task. He would have to be taught in secret, if only to catch the enemy by surprise. It would not do to reveal him to the world before he was ready. The Autobots would not trust him so early; they needed proof that he was a loyal Autobot, unaffected by his father’s Decepticon coding. The Decepticons could plot against him, try to kidnap him or corrupt him. The boy would be in great danger if Megatron caught wind of the possible challenge to his claim as Decepticon leader and heir. 

Still, that would come later, after all, his plan would take ano-cycles to fully realize. Deep and thorough planning with Axletron’s education and training was necessary. He had already secured Yoketron as the boy’s martial arts teacher, once he was on his peds. Cliffjumper trusted the ninjabot so there shouldn’t be any trouble convincing the bot to let his son take lessons. Perceptor and Wheeljack would be too glad to help with science and engineering. Kup could be trusted to teach the boy history and Alpha Trion himself would be responsible for the young bot’s combat training and mastering of the Autobot code. There were still some loose ties to cut, such as finding the bot a botanic and organic teacher, perhaps even a political instructor. Oh yes, there was still so much to do, so much to prepare and the sparkling couldn’t even walk yet! Still, such a grand scheme was not to be taken lightly. 

Alpha Trion was more than up to the challenge however. After all, the outcome was sure to be worthwhile. He was sure Axletron held the key to true peace. 

End chapter 60


	61. New Job

Cliffjumper graduated from the Academy two mega-cycles after Axletron was born, as soon as he took those two finals he missed. He didn’t graduate with honors but he had passed everything and had enough book knowledge to qualify for a safe office job in the Intel department… as Highbrow’s secretary and second. Not exactly his dream job, since he had never dreamed of a job behind a desk, but the battlefield certainly wasn’t calling to him now that he had a sparkling. Just the thought of being away for Deca-cycles on missions without seeing Axletron made his spark ache.

His new job was basically a super office assistant. He was supposed to debrief intelligence agents after missions and prep them for future ones. He was also their emergency contact while under cover and the bot to call when they needed to report in or request help. He organized information for superior officers to make information processing easier and keep their workloads manageable. He’d follow Highbrow to counsel meetings to take notes, mark minutes and organize final reports, which he’d then have to send to the other branches to be instituted. He was also the main operator for the communications network and had secondary control of the Space Bridge Nexus, though he couldn’t have use of either without a direct order from on high. It was quite a bit of power when one thought about it, but as far as Cliffjumper was concerned, he might as well be reformatted into a daily planner. Information processing wasn’t difficult, but it was pretty dull.  

Then there was the looming shadow that was his boss. Highbrow Prime was overbearing at his best and distrusting at his worst. He constantly “checked up” on Cliffjumper the first few cycles, but he seemed alright with his reports and trusted Cliffjumper to get stuff from other departments without much trouble. Mostly because Cliffjumper gave off a “ _don’t frag with me_ ” vibe most of the time, while still maintaining a sense of approachable professionalism. Most bots could tell he wasn’t the passing intern.

The other secretary and assistant bots, though they were a lot younger than him, were already getting used to seeing him, from various video calls or visits for material. Even the students started to notice him walking from building to building or performing tasks for HighBrow Prime. It was currently the summer break. A good chunk of students had stayed for classes, but many more had left. Some to help their families with the energon harvesting, other’s to find jobs in the city, others to visit home. Many of the new graduates however had stayed for sergeant training, so they could take on the new recruits once the school year started again. That’s where Sentinel was. Now that he and his team were Minors, they got to yell and order around the new cadets and go on off-planet missions and patrol with the Primes and Magnus, though they’d have to get a few ano-cycles under their belts before that happened. Still, they defiantly got more excitement than Cliffjumper was going to see anytime soon. But then again, they didn’t get to see a beautiful sparkling’s eyes glitter with joy as soon as he walked into view at the end of the day.

Every morning, he and Axletron had a nice breakfast and headed to the office. Cliffjumper usually had to drag himself out of bed, but Axletron was almost always happy to greet the day. What could Cliff do?—He’d given birth to a morning bot. Cliffjumper dropped off Axle a few stories up from Perceptor and Wheeljack’s lab, into the careful care of E.R. and First Aid, one of the head medical officers on base.

The two bots had been chosen by Ultra Magnus and the council to watch the sparking and keep him safe while Cliffjumper was at work. Cliffjumper liked E.R. and First Aid fine, they were hardworking and friendly. While in daycare, the sparkling would nap, play, and go through a few check-ups. Cliffjumper usually spent lunch with there with them and picked up Axletron at the end of the day to go home.

The sparkling was in great health, full of energy and happy. He liked E.R. and First Aid as well as he liked Perceptor and Wheeljack when they came to monitor his progress or just visit, but he liked Cliffjumper best. He’d light up like a star when he saw Cliffjumper come to pick him up. Sometimes, if Cliffjumper was late or Axletron was tired, the poor sparkling would get sulky and quiet. He’d fiddle around with a toy or his blanket and watch the door, ignoring offers to play or snack. Perceptor said it was a bit of a surprise that the sparkling would be so aware of his surroundings so soon, he was little more than a deca-cycle old after all. The first few cycles had been the worst. Cliffjumper had had to leave his station to go and comfort Axletron because he wouldn’t stop crying. He’d felt so guilty about leaving him to get back to work. But Axletron rarely cried like that now. He slept, he ate, he played, and then he smiled all the way home because he knew what was coming.

Getting home after work meant it was “Axle time” when Cliffjumper would dedicate all his attention to the sparking till bedtime. He’d play peek-a-boo and rock him and they’d have dinner together and Cliffjumper would whisper little old stories to him about princess bots with long hair and magic organic plants and spark fairies that helped people. But eventually, Axletron would fall asleep listening to Cliffjumper and the mini would tuck the small bot into bed. The sparkling was still too small for a crib; he slept in a cradle in Cliffjumper's room, so that Cliff would be right there in case he woke up or got scared in the middle of the night.

But Cliffjumper didn’t go to bed right away. No, he had some special work to do. You see, there was one more bit of good news that came with Cliffjumper’s job. He now had access to the Restricted Archives. High Brow Prime had sent him there to pick up some old files and his new ID card worked fine!  

He had to be careful though. He couldn’t just check out random files or sneak anything out. Each file he took had to be documented to keep track of its location.

He was going to have to lay low for a while, until Highbrow stopped watching his every step but an idea was forming in his head, in fact, he was already putting it into motion. Having acquired a list of all the files in the archives, he was slowly sorting through it on his off time, marking files that may have something to do with Galvatron. He wouldn’t be able to check them out, but on a slow day, he could say he was going to reorganize all the reports in the Intel and Restricted Archives. He’d have to actually do it of course, but if he watched a few videos while he worked, no one would be the wiser, not even Highbrow Prime. He just needed to narrow down the list.

**End chapter 61**


	62. Blurr

It was a pretty mundane day at the office. Highbrow Prime was having a ‘top secret’ video meeting in his office. The doors were locked, the windows shuttered and nothing short of a Decepticon invasion would open his doors until it was over.   Cliffjumper figured he was probably talking to one of his espionage agents directly…that and the Prime still didn’t trust him, even after 2 deca-cycles without an issue. Cliffjumper didn’t take it too personally anymore, the bot didn’t trust anyone. And to be completely honest, Cliffjumper didn’t trust him. The bot had wanted to terminate Axeltron as a spark and Cliffjumper wasn’t sure that—if pushed—the bot wouldn’t try and offline his sparkling out of some sick paranoia and prejudice.

It wasn’t a nice thought, especially for an Autobot, but he knew half the reason he got this job was so that Highbrow Prime could keep an optic on him, but that also meant he could keep an optic on Highbrow Prime, and since near everything ran through Cliffjumper, he was pretty positive he’d sniff a plot before it happened. Better aware than caught by surprise.

Unfortunately, that plan didn’t work out so well with unexpected guests. Cliffjumper was compiling a report of the latest Space Bridge and transwarp readings when his door slid open and a light blue blurr sped past his desk to halt at Longarm Prime’s door.  Shocked, Cliffjumper could only stare at the bot as he tried to figure out how the slag he just appeared there. The bot was tall and thin with large shoulder mounts and wheeled peds. He looked at the door in confusion, before turning to Cliffjumper.

Before his optics, the bot vanished from sight again, seeming to instantly appear right in front of his desk. “Juding-by-the-fact-that-the-door-did-not-automatically-open-for-me-despite-my-instant-access-code-I’m-assuming-Highbrow-Prime-is-in-the-middle-of-a-meeting-and-has-locked-the-doors-against-all-guests. Also! Based-on-the-fact-that-I’ve-never-seen-you-before-that-must-mean-you’re-new-to-this-job. So-welcome-to-Intel! I’m-Blurr-What’s-your-designation?”

Cliffjumper shuttered his optics. The bot spoke so fast! But he said his name was Blurr! Damn that Mirage, this was what he’d meant! Fragging noble could have given him a slagging warning! “I’m Cliffjumper.”

“Cliffjumper? That’s-a-strange-designation-for-an-intel-bot-since-it’s-mostly-processor-work-though-I-suppose-espionage-counts-as-field-work-but-then-again-jumping-in-head-first-doesn’t-sound-like-a-good-trait-in-a-spy-If-anything-it’s-the-name-of-a-warrior-or-did-you-come-from-the-civilian-ring?

“I used to be a warrior, yes” Cliffjumper growled out, trying not to take too much insult. After all, he was pretty high-strung.

“oh-I-see! So-you’re-a-war-vet! See-that-explains-a-lot! Not-only-your-tough-name-not-to-say-a-mini-doesn’t-deserve-a-tough-name-it’s-just-that-most-minis-I-know-are-softies-though-there-are-a-few-that -really-are-tough-but-it-explains-why-you’re-here-too. A-lot-of-warriors-switch-to-desk-jobs-though-not-all-of-them-last-you’re-the-first-former-warrior-bot-I’ve-seen-in-such-a-high-position-in-the-Intel-dapartment. It-must-be-pretty-different-from-what-you-were-doing-before.”

“Yes, it is.”

“but-then-again-it-must-still-be-exciting! I-mean-going-back-into-the-civilian-cast-asfter-being-a-warrior-can-get-pretty-boring-and-I-know-a-lot-of-bots-don’t-always-adjust-so-well.”

“I wouldn’t” Cliffjumper said with a nod. He probably wouldn’t do well as a civilian again. On his monitor, he pulled up Blurr’s file. The bot was currently under orders to stick to the planet, snuffing out Decepticon spies in the civilian guild. “How goes the mission?” he asked casually. Might as well make friends with the bot if they were going to be working together.

“Well-since-you’re-the-new-secretary-slash-second-to-Highbrow-and-none-of-it-is-really-classified-I-guess-it’s-alright-to-tell-you.” Blurr said with a quick shrug, leaning across Cliffjumper’s desk to whisper, “I’ve-been-working-to-sniff-out-some-sleeper-agents-in-the-civilian-guild. What-I-mean-are-Decepticon-agents-that-don’t-know-they’re-Decepticons-and-act-like-loyal-everyday-Autobots. So-far-however-I’ve-been-unable-to-tell-if-they-are-actual-Decepticons-that-have-been-temporarily-reprogramed-as-Autobots-or-if-they’re-acting-and-fully-aware-of-their-loyalties-or-if-they-need-to-be-activated-by-actual-Decepicons.” He added with some frustration.

“Can Decepticons do much from the civilian guild?” Cliffjumper asked. After all, spies were usually inserted to gain high level information. To maintain a spy at the lowest level in the system held no purpose unless you wanted to learn about popular opinion.

“Exactly!” Blurr said with a slap to his desk. “That’s-why-I-theorize-the-bot-or-bots-are-highly-placed-civilians-possibly-in-the-entertainment-guild-so-that-they-have-influence-over-a-large-number-of-people-but-remain-mostly-out-of-the-Autobot’s-focus. I’ve-given-such-bots-the-codename-FlipSides-for obvious reasons. I-know-they’re-out-there-I-just-haven’t-been-able-to-find-them-out. Proof- Cliffjumper! That’s-what-I-need! Without-it-I-can’t-say-squat.” He finished with a pout.

“I’m sure you’ll find it.” Cliffjumper replied with a small smile. This bot was certainly determined! He could defiantly admire that. And the bot had a good point. In order to get anything done in the intel world you needed proof. He only hoped that Blurr’s skills would never be turned against him. Who knows what the quick bot could find out if he dug deep enough. After all, one couldn’t erase everything, especially not when forbidden bonds were involved.

A small beep on his monitor alerted him that Highbrow Prime was finished with his meeting. Typing his superior a quick message telling him about Blurr’s presence, he received an instant reply to let the bot in. “You can see Highbrow Prime now Blurr” he told the speedster, who nodded his thanks and headed through the Prime’s office doors.

“see-ya-Cliff!’

Cliffjumper just managed to wave goodbye as the doors shut, leaving him alone with his work again.

On the other side of the door, Blurr saluted in greeting to Highbrow Prime as the bot shut down his monitor. “Well Blurr? What do you think of the new bot?” he asked, curious over his best agent’s opinion.

Glancing back to the door, Blurr smiled, “I-like-him!”

Highbrow shook his head skeptically but smiled. He knew Blurr was bit of an optimist. Not the best thing in an espionage agent but he supposed he could be worse…he could have his priorities mixed up. That was what Highbrow really didn’t like about Cliffjumper. He was a hard worker, tough and thorough, but when it came down to a choice between his work and his kid…Highbrow had no illusions to what his choice would be. And what was worse, Highbrow didn’t understand how the mini could love a kid like that so much. A Con’s kid.

Highbrow Prime had been subjected to more than a single lecture from Alpha Trion about the mini’s sparkling. He supposed it was…sort of…wrong to judge to bot when he was so young.  But no amount of preaching would change his mind. The kid wasn’t normal and his father’s code couldn’t just disappear. So Highbrow vowed to keep an optic on both the sparkling and its mother. If he really was like his father, Highbrow would find out quick enough. He’d be there if they stepped a ped out of line. No Decepticon was going to pull the steel-wool over his eyes. It didn’t matter if they were a sleeper agent, an undercover spy, a traitor or a code born sparkling. No matter how long it took, he’d be ready. For now however, he had Blurr’s mission to deal with.  “Well, what do you have to report?” he asked Blurr with a final glance to his door where the mini was working.

**End chapter 62**

 


	63. The Horrors of Crawling

The house was a mess.

Cabinet doors were opened wide; a few boxes of food had fallen to the ground.  Chairs had been pushed sporadically around the room, one was overturned completely and another stood on the kitchen counter. The curtains were tangled where they hung. Every bit of furniture had been moved or pushed or tipped over. The contents of one bookshelf had been moved to the floor… and in the middle of the chaos, one red mini bot was panicking.

Why?

Axletron had learned to crawl…right out of sight. The first time it had happened, Cliffjumper had stopped to put some toys away and he turned around to find Axletron, sitting not against his pillow chair where he’d first placed him, but by Cliffjumper’s foot, poking his ped with a foam puzzle piece. Naturally Cliffjumper had called every bot that knew about the sparkling to share the news. Axletron had very much enjoyed the attention of so many bots cooing and calling him to crawl to them, at least until he fell asleep on his blanket.

But what had first been a miracle was now torture of the cruelest kind because Axletron had a horrible habit of…vanishing.

Cliffjumper was frantic. He’d turned his back on the newly mobile sparkling for two klicks and POOF! He was gone! Cliffjumper knew he couldn’t have gone upstairs or outside, but that still left a slag of a lot of places for the sparkling to hide! “Axletron! Axletron please come out!” he cried, peeking under the sink in the bathroom. No luck there either.

He couldn’t understand how a sparkling could hide so well! Horrible images flooded his mind. What if he’d gotten hurt!? Or smashed!? Or stuck!? What if he fell asleep in a vent or tried to eat paint or touched something harmful!? What if he couldn’t cry or Cliff couldn’t hear him or –

Cliffjumper processor was just about to go blue screen when he heard it…a tiny laugh!

“…Axle…?” he whispered softly. The titter came again!

Listening sharply, Cliffjumper followed the soft giggles, straight to the laundry room. There, on the floor in the hamper of freshly dried blankets and towels, Axletron had made himself a little nest, his freshly laundered blue blanket clutched in his tiny fists.

“You little devil!” Cliffjumper exclaimed as he picked up the sparkling, clutching him desperately. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again! Primus!”

Axletron simply giggled, hugging Cliffjumper back and waving his blanket around as though to say, _“Look! I got it! I got it!”_

Cliffjumper glared at the blanket then rolled his optics and sighed, still hugging Axletron. He’d have to make sure he placed the hamper on top of the washing machines from now on. And to return Axle’s blanket to him as soon as it finished cleaning so he wouldn’t go looking for it again…he didn’t think his spark could handle something like this again. He’d been absolutely terrified! He hadn’t felt that scared since…actually…he didn’t think he’d ever felt that scared.

And here was Axletron giggling and grinning liked he’d learned a new trick!

Pouting a bit, Cliffjumper waved a finger at Axletron, who bobbed his head up and down to follow it. “Don’t make me get Percy to install a tracer in you, cause I’ll do it!’’ he threatened. Axle simply grabbed the finger and started trying to shake it. Cliffjumper rolled his optics and picked up the sparkling. He had a mess to pick up and _this time!_ —Axle was going into the play crib!

End chapter 63 


	64. First Word

It was mechanical suburbia. Crystal gardens and grass, cookie cutter houses with short fences and fancy metalwork. The streets were clean, the area quiet, the community gated. No one could even suspect the events that were occurring in one of these sweet homes. Inside a two story white and blue house, in the master bedroom, soft screams were filtering through the air as one bot looked on.

Hound could still barely believe what he was seeing. Cliffjumper was sitting on his bed, looming over his sparkling with a devilish grin, tickling Axletron into little giggle fits. The mini would coo at the sparkling and blow bubbles into his soft protoform tummy while tickling his sides and Axel would just go wild! He’d squeal and kick his tiny legs trying to get away, though he couldn’t move more than a few inches to either side unless he started rolling, and Cliffjumper made sure he stayed safely away from the edge. It was a side of Cliffjumper Hound didn’t even know existed! The minibot always acted so tough, even when he was being friendly. Now look at him!

“You’re such a good mommy” Hound said with a smirk and a chuckle. He couldn’t wait to tell Mirage! The former noble wouldn’t believe him!

“I’m not a mom!” Cliffjumper replied with a flat look, “I’m a mech! Doesn’t that make me his dad?”

“Mommies always do the carrying.” Hound replied simply. The carrier or caretaker in the relationship, no matter what kind of relationship it was, was automatically given the title of mommy, at least in his book.

“That’s not fair!” Cliffjumper pouted, “I’m a warrior!”

“Whatever you say…mama.” Hound snickered back, completely ignoring Cliffjumper’s glare.

Then something happened that stopped them both cold.

“…mhf…mah…ma…!” Axel suddenly interpupted, proud that it sounded like what Uncle Hound said. Cliffjumper stared at his sparkling with huge optics before turning to Hound, who looked just as stunned.

“Did he just-?”                      

“-speak?”

They both looked back to Axel, who continued to wriggle and giggle, enjoying the reaction he’d gotten almost as much as he’d been enjoying their game. “Mama!” He shouted again, laughing at the ways their optics widened to the size of saucers. Suddenly Cliffjumper was on his peds calling Perceptor as Hound bounced Axel on his leg, trying to get him to say it again.

“Say it again Axle!” He cooed, “Say mama, or Hound, or Axle! Can you say Axle?”

The sparkling simply giggled again, shouting “Mama!”

“Perceptor!” Cliffjumper shouted into his comm when the bot answered after the second ring. “Percy! Axletron spoke! He spoke!”

“What?” Perceptor asked, actually sounding stunned.

“He said ‘mama!’” Hound shouted behind him, almost hysterical. Axletron just laughed, shouting it again.

“You said he wouldn’t speak until he was nearly an ano-cycle old!” Cliffjumper exclaimed. Axletron was only 9 deca-cycles old! 9 deca-cycles!

“He’s developing more rapidly then I imagined” Perceptor replied, deep in thought, “this is the behavior of a very intelligent bot.”  

“My baby’s a brain bot!” Cliffjumper said as picked up Axletron from Hound’s knee and cuddled him.  

Needless to say, there was a party that night, and everybot that knew the sparkling and could come on such short notice, came to hear the new word and try to make Axletron say their names too. And of course mercilessly tease the minibot about being a “mama” instead of a “papa,” but Cliffjumper couldn’t bring himself to try and make Axletron change it.

End chapter 64


	65. New Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time skips in future chapters, fair warning. :)

Cliffjumper never though he would be a good parent, but these last few deca-cycles with Axle had slowly changed his mind. He loved the little bot. He loved his optics and his smiles and the way he would try to surprise him. The little bot had such a kind spark, a deep curiosity for everything and of course that crazy sweet tooth. Every cycle with the sparkling felt like a blessing. And it was going by so fast. It was almost an ano-cycle since Cliffjumper had had Axletron. All of the students, including Sentinel’s first team, were taking their finals.

As it was, Cliffjumper worked a standard shift all mega-cycle, letting him spend his mornings and evenings with Axletron, even if he sometimes had to take work home. Axletron still napped a lot while he was in daycare, so Cliffjumper got to spend most of the sparkling’s ‘awake time’ with him, which was great! He wanted to spend every moment he could with the sparkling.

At the moment, Axletron was playing with soft blocks in his play pin, stacking them into towers, a look of deep concentration on his chubby faceplate. The sparkling was growing fast. He could already crawl faster than a bullet and babble adorable little baby words and he had started trying to walk on two peds by grabbing on to the edges of things. He was still pretty tiny by most bot’s standards, and Cliffjumper could still hold him easily, but he was a good deal bigger than he was a few mega-cycles ago.

He looked up at Cliffjumper as he approached, smiling happily and reaching up. “mama!” he called with glee, happy for the attention.

Cliffjumper scooped him up with a light tickle on his soft tummy. “Axletron, let’s go on a little adventure. What do you say?”

Axletron giggled at the tickle and smiled. Taking that as a confirmation, Cliffjumper headed out the door, past his gate and down a few blocks until he reached a park. It wasn’t much, just a small swing set, probably there out of nostalgia for the occasional romantic couple. But at the moment it was empty and though Cliffjumper wasn’t surprised, he was a bit disappointed. Of course he couldn’t expect to be like his old park, full of kids playing around a jungle gym. Sparklings had become a thing of the past. Bots were built now, fully grown as adults, brought to life from molds and infused with residue spark energy from the temple were the All Spark had once resided. _Axletron was alone_ , Cliffjumper thought sadly…but he had him and by Primus Cliff would always be there for him, no matter what.

Even with the lack of company, the park was enough to make Axletron go into a little fit of pleasure, curious over the new place. Smiling, Cliffjumper took him to the swing set, sitting down with him securely on his lap, one arm wrapped around him, the other on the swing’s chain. Axletron’s blue optics glowed bright in curiosity as his tiny servos gripped Cliffjumper’s larger arm. The first swing made him squeak in surprise, the second giggle, and in a few nano-kliks he was having the time of his life, waving his arms as they swung and laughing joyfully.

As he swung the happy sparkling back and forth, Cliffjumper was content.  This was already more than he ever imagined for himself. It wasn’t a park full of sparklings…but it was enough. The dream of a sparkling filled park he had shared with Galvatron had never presented one of them as his, but with Axeltron, he didn’t mind. One sparkling was enough if it was his.

When Axeltron had finally tuckered himself out, Cliffjumper picked him up and headed home. As the sparkling slept on his shoulder, he looked out towards the stars and spotted a bright purple one. Reminded of Galvatron and those nights they spent star-gazing together, he didn’t feel any hate or regret. He treasured the memory, because it had brought him to where he was today, even with all the pain along the way. Closing his optics, he hugged Axletron softly and whispered “Thank you so much Galvatron…I love you….”

The star twinkled over the two bots as they headed home.

-

Lightyears away, on an empty, abandoned planet, a single bot gazed into the sky. He had long since memorized all the stars in sight. But by his favorite red one, a small white star had appeared. For some inexplicable reason…it brought a rare smile to his face, a smile with just a hint of a smirk in it.

End chapter 65


	66. Headquarters

**_Three ano-cycles later…_ **

To the ignorant onlooker, Cliffjumper’s office was a mess.  It was a vortex of scattered reports, towers of files, overstuffed bookshelves and walls that were plastered with star charts and ship schematics and space bridge maps and trade routes and planetary systems from every day and age. And that was exactly how Cliffjumper wanted it to look.

What that room actually held however, was the grand total of almost four ano-cycles of research on Galvatron and his mystery location. He’d tracked the purple bot’s trail through several galaxies so far, but he still didn’t have a clear fix on his location.

Cliffjumper started at the very beginning, _immediately_ after he’d gone under. Galvatron had continued his war campaign, but he’d begun to lose more and more battles as his sanity slipped. Near the end of the war, he was never seen on the battleground. When he did appear into view, he was always surrounded by his advisors and some medical personal. Unable to find new resources, he began directing what he had into building a few massive ships. His flagship was the _Nova_. It was an enormous warship, capable of holding and housing thousands of bots.  During the second war, Megatron stripped it down to make the _Nemesis_ , his own flagship for his own army, but that was later. After Galvatron had his ships built and they were ready to launch, that was when he stole the All Spark, conceived Megatron  and fled the planet. Or at least that was the popular opinion, and Cliffjumper couldn’t find any fault with the idea.

There were plenty of reports and history files on Galvatron’s first few ano-cyles off Cybertron, though Megatron’s existence wasn’t known. He’d immediately gone to Cybertron’s neighboring planet Dread, setting up on its moon Westenra. The organic terrain was barren and tough for a Cybertronian though, so he didn’t waste much time before moving to Galleon. Galleon was a gutted mining planet now, too unstable to inhabit anymore, but back then it had been an untouched land. Galvatron and his small army inhabited it for a while, stockpiling energon until Autobots explored the planet, discovering both the Energon and the Decepticons. Galvatron made an immediate move to escape, abandoning the planet and vanishing from the solar system, which quickly fell under the power of the new Autobot Empire.

That’s where the history files went fuzzy. Galvatron didn’t reappear for several vorns, when a scouting party thought they saw an old Decepticon warship around Combatatron. They were rookies though, so their word hadn’t been taken for much. Cliffjumper didn’t have much to go off though so he was considering whatever he found solid fact. After that, Cliffjumper knew Galvatron stayed in touch with Planet Junk for ready supplies and maybe a planet in Quintesson territory as an energon source.

Cliffjumper calculated that Galvatron and Megatron stayed in hiding for several vorns until Megatron took over the Decepticons. He had no idea what the conditions of the situation were. He didn’t know how Galvatron’s mental health was or how the Decepticon forces stayed together or anything else. Galvatron essentially vanished when Megatron took over.

Megatron sent out a manifesto across the space networks, attracting thousands of new recruits to the Decepticon cause. He immediately began a vicious “Cycle of Infamy,” conquering several planets rapidly, taking down Antilla, Vehicon, Velocitron and several Autobot bases along the way. It took a while for the Autobots to get their war gloves back on. The only thing that got them back on track was Perceptor’s invention of the space bridges. The Decepticons responded by getting arms from the Quentessons and beginning a bombing campaign on Cybertron, littering the rubble with propaganda demanding the All Spark be handed over to Megatron. Naturally the All Spark was hidden and the war effort stepped up with Project Omega.

The moment of truth came when Megatron launched the “False Calm.” He stopped all Decepticon activity and actually managed to sneak troops onto Cybertron to steal the All Spark. Luckily, the Autobots got wind of the plan and managed to send the All Spark through a random spacebridge. No one knew where it ended up; even today it was a mystery. Megatron and his forces retreated into space, searching for it, and haven’t been heard from since.

Where Galvatron was through all this, Cliffjumper didn’t know. If Galvatron’s health had deteriorated even further, it would have been dangerous to have him near a battlefield or in a warship. He didn’t think Megatron would endanger his father like that, even if he was a warlord. Cliffjumper’s bet was on Galvatron being hidden on one of the Decepticon’s conquered planets. But he didn’t know which one. The Decepticons had attained a pretty large empire during the war, but they’d lost most of it again during the Autobot’s planet-hopping liberation campaign.  Cliffjumper was still going over the planets, trying to find any that would make a good hideout for a former warlord but none really fit and Cliffjumper was getting more and more uncertain as the list grew shorter.

At the moment, he was staring blankly at his star chart. It was worn around the edges and decorated with lines in every color imaginable. The first thing he did was cross out the destroyed planets. They’d been the big casualties of war, and there were quite a few of them. After that, he’d marked every planet that had ever been under Decepticon control, no matter for how short a time. He looked at energon reserves and supply routes and territory agreements, at population and terrain but he couldn’t pinpoint a single place where Galvatron might be hiding.

He just didn’t know what to look for anymore. He didn’t know where Galvatron could hide!

Letting his helm sink to the table, Cliffjumper rubbed his sensory horns. They were buzzing with the tension of going over this stuff for micro-cycles. He wasn’t a tactician! He didn’t know how Galvatron thought and he sure as slag didn’t know how Megatron thought. He had learned Intel because it was mostly procedure and organization. He learned, he debriefed, but he never actually came up with the plans himself. He just followed procedure. But he didn’t have a procedure for this. He was shooting blind and couldn’t even tell if he was hitting a target…

A soft knock on his door called his attention. The mini turned his head to find Axletron peaking around the open door frame.

“Hey Axle…” Cliffjumper greeted, sitting up slowly. “Time for lunch?” he asked with a smile.

Axle nodded at the question, smiling back with a gap tooth smile. The youngling had recently lost his first sparkling denta. He’d gotten taller too, past Cliffjumper’s thigh. He was a curious little kid. He loved reading and trying new foods.  Axle had been watching a video in the main room. Cliff had spotted him on the couch and heard his laughs all morning. Now that the sparking was a bit older, Cliff didn’t have to worry about him crawling off and getting stuck somewhere, though he still shot him a glance every few kliks. Cliff had told him to come get him when he was hungry. Stretching his arms, Cliffjumper stacked up his charts and slid out of his chair. Some food would do him some good; hopefully take him mind off the enormous universe he still had to search.

As he got lunch ready, Axle stood on one of the kitchen chairs, putting the light plastic plates and cups in place. Cliffjumper had started to put the plastic dishes in the lower cabinets just for him, since he liked to help him get everything ready.

Axle was a very smart cookie after all, or at least that’s what his mommy said about him. His Uncle ‘Jack said it too, but his Uncle Percy said it was “illogical” to compare Axletron to a “flat edible disk,” even if they were _really_ yummy. “Mommy?” Axle asked as he sat on his seat, kicking his peds where they hung, “Can we read about Turbo-Tron today?”  

“I thought that book was lost?” Cliffjumper responded, placing Axle’s plate in front of the sparkling. Turbo-Tron was a short series about a transformer that lived inside a computer system, like a game, and had to save his father and the world. It was one of Axle’s favorites, but they hadn’t been able to find it recently.

Axle grumbled, “…I can find it…” and pouted, shifting the food around on his plate.  

“It’s probably hidden in between your other books. It couldn’t be in my shelves…” Cliffjumper froze mid-way to his seat. “...my shelves…”

“Mommy?” Axletron asked, mouth full of food but still curious.

Cliffjumper dropped his plate on the table and spun on his heel. “I’ll be right back!” Rushing to his office, Cliffjumper pulled one of the newer star charts from the pile, sending the others flying to the floor. It was a trader’s map, the only one with lines for the different political galactic boarders. He grabbed his list.

Cliffjumper had been so stupid! Galvatron couldn’t have stayed hidden on an Autobot inhabited planet, or even in Autobot territory, no matter how deep he went. He wouldn’t risk being pushed to a corner like that! Cliffjumper crossed out the former Decepticon planets that the Autobots had taken over.  On top of that, the safest place would be somewhere Galvatron or Megatron could control. Something they knew like the back of their servos and that only left the planets in the Decepticon Empire and their allies. It could hardly be called an empire, 10 planets in total, but if Galvatron was anywhere in the known universe, it was there!

It was just like Axletron’s lost book. It wouldn’t be on Cliffjumper’s shelf, because Cliffjumper would have noticed something so out of place quickly. It wasn’t under their sofa or stuck behind the wall because Cliffjumper had already checked those places, since they were the most obvious places to look. So it had to be hidden with the rest of Axletron’s books, unnoticed because that’s where it technically belonged!

Galvatron wouldn’t be on an Autobot planet where he’d be easily noticed! He’d be with Decepticons! He’d be in the Decepticon empire! _Finally_! Cliffjumper thought with a smile. He knew where to look!

…now he just had to figure out how exactly he was supposed to search several Decepticon planets, in Decepticon territory? It wasn’t like he could ask for a few cycle’s vacation, pack a bag for him and Axle and go for a space ride through their corner of the universe!

Cliffjumper slammed his fist against his desk. It wasn’t fair! He had something! He finally had something and he couldn’t touch it! …That left only one other option…he had to talk to Decepticons. Cliffjumper let his helm fall into his servos with a groan. A whole new set of problems. There were plenty of Decepticons in the stockades, but not many that were willing to talk to an Autobot. He felt himself sink to the flood, back to the desk. There had to be a way…there had to be something…but he couldn’t bring anyone else into this.

He heard Axle’s soft small ped-steps before the bot got to his office. He knew he was there before he even tapped his shoulder cautiously. “Mommy? Are you ok?”

With a heavy sigh, Cliffjumper uncurled himself, letting Axle climb into his lap. “Yeah, Axle, I’m alright. Just…just trying to find something and having a lot of trouble…”he grumbled, glaring at the star chart on the floor.

Axletron looked over at it. “What are you looking for?”

“A special place. I don’t even know where it is or what it looks like…”

“Has anyone else ever seen it?”

“Maybe. I can ask, but there are just so many places to look...”

“Uncle Percy says, that when he’s looking for something, he goes through everywhere it could be one at a time…”

“That’s a good plan.” Cliffjumper said with a sad smile. “Where you think I should start?” he asked, nodding at the chart. Axletron hopped over to the chart, focusing on the dots surrounded by the purple border. His blow scrunched in concentration, his tiny denta biting his lip, he slowly skimmed the paper with his finger before point to one of the dots.

“This one!” he declared proudly. “You should start with this one!”

Cliffjumper felt his smile grow. “Alright!” he announced, pulling himself up to look at the map. Axletron had picked Karn. Cliffjumper circled it with a red marker. It was as good a place to start as any. “I’ll start there and keep looking till I find it. In the meantime though, let’s go finish lunch. Then we’ll find that book you like ok?”  

“Ok!” Axle replied, grabbing his mother’s hand and pulling the minibot back to the kitchen. Cliffjumper let himself get tugged along by the smaller red bot. He’d learn about Karn when he had the time, try and talk to some Cons from the planet, look at any scouting or stellar reports on it too. But later. Right now, he just wanted to spend some time with Axletron.

**End chapter 66**


	67. A Minute Encounter

Highbrow Prime sometimes made the most ludicrous demands. Even after three ano-cycles working for the bot he still managed to make Cliffjumper’s jaw drop with disbelief. Cliffjumper sometimes thought he had his superior down to a peg, and it was true that he was more familiar with the workaholic’s habits then most bots. He knew how he liked his energon in the morning and that without it he was usually more grumpy and demanding than normal. He knew which reports he wanted first and who to let into the office immediately and who to stall for as long as possible. It was just something that came with working for a bot for a while.

But Cliff got the feeling that Highbrow just wanted to mess with him sometimes…like today! In fact a lot of people seemed to want to mess with him. Take the screw loose bot who designed this place; he should be fired. Or at least Cliffjumper thought so. Highbrow Prime had sent him to collect some old files from a secure storage closet in the archives. What Highbrow had failed to mention was that he should have brought a ladder! The cluttered and dusty shelf had to be at least 40 feet tall! And of course the files Prime needed were near the very top. It would be nice if Highbrow remembered that he was a _mini_ bot, not that Cliffjumper would ever complain about it.  

Nope, he just glared at the box with the file sticker as it loomed several feet above his head before sighing in defeat; the stupid thing wasn’t going to come down just by him thinking about it. He looked around for a chair, but the only thing on hand were a few boxes dumped to the side. Grabbing two he pulled them forward, making a step to stack two more on the first. Climbing them, he could almost reach the box he needed, but he was still a few inches short. Growling under his breath, he jumped, pulling the box a bit closer to the edge and making the boxes under him wobble to side. “Slag” he cursed as he felt himself slip back.

Bracing himself to hit the floor, he was shocked when something stopped his fall. Looking over his shoulder he saw a large square servo pressed against his back, keeping him steady on the swaying pile of boxes. The arm extended all the way to the door’s entrance where a grey and teal bot was peeking around the door frame. That was odd; he thought he’d closed that door. He’d have to make sure next time, it wasn’t smart to leave the doors of secret rooms unlocked. Bad Cliffy. Still, this bot had just saved him from a pretty bad fall. Cliffjumper had never seen him before though. “You new?” he asked, trying to get his footing back on the box.

“Uh, yes…” The bot mumbled, pushing Cliffjumper forward so he could stand upright on the box again, though it still wobbled.

“You got a name?” Cliffjumper asked with a small smirk.

“Yes, Sir! I’m Longarm, Sir!” The bot recited, saluting him sharply.

“Well, thanks for the save Longarm” Cliffjumper said with a nod, “Mind doing me one more favor and grabbing that box up there?” he added with a grin, pointing to the box he’d knocked loose.

Longarm extended his arm to the high shelf, easily grabbing the box and bringing it down to Cliffjumper’s level, which was Longarm’s chassis…basically. “Here you go Sir!”

“Thanks Longarm!” As Cliffjumper took the box, he suddenly remembered where he’d heard the bot’s name before! Sentinel’s new team had a crane in it, with extendable arms and legs! And he’d named the kid Longarm! “You’re Sentinel’s new recruit!”

The bot blinked in confusion for a second, “yes sir, you know him?” he asked with some nervousness.

“Oh, yeah, we’re good friends!” Cliffjumper relied lightly checking the box’s label, completely missing the way the red orb on Longarm’s forehead glowed brightly for a frantic moment.

Sentinel had been the drill sergeant to two teams already, Longarm’s group would be his third. He’d told him on his last visit to the house that the group had started out rough, with one of the cadets destroying a building. Cliff didn’t know _how_ exactly he’d managed that when they were just showing off their skills, but he had to admire the damage the bot had caused, not that it impressed Sentinel much. This kid though, Longarm, had garnered some of Sentinel’s respect, because he was taking on a scrap load of classes for a single-ano.

“He told me you’re taking a lot of classes” Cliffjumper added, moving the boxes he’d used as stairs back in their place. “What’s the rush?” he asked earnestly. He’d had Axletron at the time, but he seriously doubted Longarm was sparked up too.

“Er…just want to do all I can for the cause.” Longarm murmured, shifting on his peds awkwardly, like he was feeling confined. It couldn’t be the room, the ceiling was high enough…so it was probably just talking with Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper’s job hadn’t changed much, but bots had grown to recognize him around campus, especially when they did something to gain Highbrow’s attention. It was usually Cliffjumper that showed up to deliver their summons or drag them to the brig for the night or meet them at the front gate when they were overcharged out of their minds. The mini was probably seen as a specter of doom for many of the students. When he showed up, you were in trouble. But Cliff found it all kind of funny.

Smirking, Cliffjumper subtly herded Longarm out of the room. “If _I_ could do it, then I have _no_ doubt _you_ can.” Cliffjumper said with a light laugh, quickly locking the door with his key card, this time making sure it was good and locked.  Shifting the box back into his arms, he turned back to face Longarm. “Well, thanks for your help Longarm, I owe you one. Try not to get lost in here ok? Don’t want Highbrow on your tail so soon do you?”

“No sir!” Longarm said quickly, shaking his head.

They both headed for the front entrance, Cliffjumper heading back to the Intel office. Waving goodbye one final time, Longarm walked behind a corner and sank to the ground, clutching his helm in his servos. _Primus FRAG it that had been close_!  That red bot was a friend to his sergeant! He was the head of Intel’s secretary for Primus’ sake! If he let it slip out that he’d met him in near the restricted units of the archives, who knows what would happen!? He was just hoping to get some quick Intel, test the security of the place, not throw suspicion onto himself.  Longarm punched the wall deftly, his servo transforming into a gruesome claw for an instant before falling back into place. He growled. Nothing seemed to be going his way. His drill sergeant was an idiot, his teammates were glitches, his classes were monotonous, and this Primus forsaken body was _too_ small!

Taking a deep cooling intake, Longarm slumped against the wall, letting his arms stretch to the floor. He would adjust. That’s what he kept telling himself. It was all for the mission, all for cause. What sort of Decepticon commander would he be, if he let some discomfort stop him? Megatron would not like that at all, and Shockwave hated to disappoint his master.

Pulling himself together, he shrank back into his form and headed for the barracks. The bright red orb on his forehead glowed with energy as he moved along. He’d try and contact Megatron later, when his alter ego Longarm was a bit more secure. In the meantime, he’d lay low and avoid the minibot that hung around the archives.

End chapter 67


	68. The Wasp Incident

Cliffjumper was tired.

He’d spent the entire day playing tour guide to the new recruits, just one group after another, telling them of the wonders of working in Intel, which got hard to come up with after a while. The only interesting part of the whole thing was when he had Longarm in his group, simply because it was nice to see a somewhat familiar faceplate. But that was thankfully over and if Primus had mercy he wouldn’t have to do it again for a while…or ever again.

Now it was time to head home! Axletron had fallen asleep waiting for him. He’d probably been running around all day. First Aid said he was doing very well though. After he’d learned to walk and run, it was impossible to keep the sparkling down. It was trying at times, but the sparkling was having a lot of fun so Cliffjumper didn’t make too big a deal of it. As First Aid said, “An active sparkling was a healthy sparking.” That didn’t mean Cliffjumper would wake him up if he didn’t have to though.

Axletron had grown fast in the last three ano-cycles. He was a little chatterbox with bots he knew, always ready with a story about his day or asking questions that drove bots up the wall. He was even smarter than Cliffjumper thought he would be, going through books as fast as he ate energon sweets. And Cliffjumper had seen a full platter of energon cookies vanish in less than three kliks with that kid. All that sugar went straight to his spark though. Axletron was all smiles and giggles and hugs. He hardly reached the knees of any bot, but that didn’t stop him from greeting his Grandpa Magnus with a spark melting hug around his ankles.

The youngling may have gotten bigger, but Cliffjumper was still able to carry him home, even if he did have to use both hands to do it. Axletron was resting his helm on Cliffjumper’s shoulder, his arms hanging loosely around his mother’s neck. Cliffjumper had decided to take a shortcut past the barracks. That was when he heard it.

“…I am a worthless oil stain…”

Cliffjumper stopped short, trying to figure out if he’d heard right.

“…I am a worthless oil stain…”

And there it was again! Shifting Axletron out of sight, he looked around. He just needed to figure out where the voice came from so he could avoid the speaker. Looking around a few oil drums he spotted a yellow minibot standing on one leg, an oil drum in each hand, chanting “I am a worthless oil stain” over and over again. Poor kid had probably ticked off his drill sergeant. He let himself chuckle a bit, relaxing, as he watched the bot glance around and let the oil drums fall, grumbling, “Why am I even doing this?” before sulking off, probably back to his dorm. Cliffjumper hadn’t seen him before, so he had to be newly forged.  Cliff supposed there could be better starts to life. Hopefully the kid would pull it together, stop ticking off his sergeant, find some good friends and work hard.

Pushing the yellow minibot out of his mind, Cliffjumper moved Axle back into a more comfortable position. Without looking back he quickly headed home, determined to get Axle to bed as soon as possible. Being such, he completely missed Wasp walking out of the storage unit, closely followed by Bumblebee and the tall shadow that crept out of the dark ally and tailed in their wake.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Hey Sentinel!” Cliffjumper called, spotting the bot just as he before he turned the corner. The blue bot stopped short at the holler, looking back to see the mini running towards him, holding a small box with red glowing seams and the Autobot insignia. “Thank Primus I caught you before you headed home. Here.” he said, handing the box to Sentinel. “Would you give this to Longarm. Highbrow Prime said it’s an extra project for one of his Intel classes, but he didn’t have a chance to give it to him in class.”

Shrugging, Sentinel took the box, delivering it wasn’t that big a deal. “Yeah, I got it.”

Gracing Sentinel with a full smile, Cliffjumper said, “Thanks! I’ve got to go pick up Axle! See you later!” and with that, the mini rushed the other way towards the elevators. Sentinel simply rolled his optics, though he wasn’t really surprised. Cliffjumper stuck to his kid like the pink paint used for battle simulations stuck to the single-ano’s plating. And little Axle was just the same, practically glued to the minibot’s short legs.

Heading down the hall, he played with the box, tossing into the air and catching it again. It didn’t sound like it had anything inside. For a moment he wanted to open it, just to see if it was really empty…but if Highbrow rigged it or something, he’d know Sentinel did it.  Better to let Longarm handle this one.

He found his cadet in the barracks, surrounded by as many datapads as Cliffjumper had once been.

“Longarm!” Sentinel hollered, smirking a bit when the bot jumped and sent a stack falling as he stood upright and saluted.

“Yes Sir?”

Sentinel deftly handed the box over, taking in the look of recognition with little more than a raised eyebrow ridge. “This comes from Highbrow, said you’d know what it is.”

The extendable bot nodded and grabbed the bot softly, reverently looking it over. “It’s a special box used for hacking practice. The lines turn blue when it’s unlocked. If I can open it, I get to keep whatever’s inside. Highbrow Prime told me no one’s been able to open it yet!”

“Right.” Sentinel mumbled simply, having lost all interest once he learned that the box was for. “Well, good luck with that.” He added, figuring the bot wouldn’t figure it out.

It wasn’t two cycles later that he was proved wrong. Running a sweep around the barracks for any stragglers and curfew cutters, he saw the box lying around on the ground.

“Who left this out here!?” He shouted, before noticing the box’s lights were blue now instead of red. His curiosity overcoming him, Sentinel crouched down and lifted the lid, only to be splattered with sticky pink paint. “Gah!” he shouted angrily. Turning, he spotted Bumblebee waving flatly from behind a barrel of oil drums. With a snarl he grabbed the bot by the horn and tugged him towards the open field, yelling for the other cadets to follow. Some transform-up should shape this prankster up.

“…Twenty-six! …Twenty-seven!... Twenty-eight!...” Sentinel kept counting for a while.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Highbrow Prime had ordered Cliffjumper to retrieve some files from one of the warehouses on the edges of the base, the ones he and Sentinel had once snuck around to get to Maccadam’s. Since they were so far out of anyone’s way, aside from housing old data files and outdated pads, they were the unofficial grounds for all student delinquency. Bots would go there to make out, to spark up, and to hide questionable materials. Cliffjumper was pretty sure that if one of the bots killed someone, this was where they would hide the body. Everything ended up there, and Cliffjumper thanked Primus that he wasn’t the one that had to clean it up, even if he did have to dig through old files to find what he needed.

As he headed out from his office, he passed Sentinel in the hall. The Minor had been assigned a new team that ano-cycle and from the ridiculous amounts of complaining Sentinel had been doing, they weren’t exactly the crème of the crop.

 “You will not believe the glitches the commander saddled me with this time” Sentinel moaned as they entered the warehouse, the blue bot having decided to tag along. “I’m starting to think Ultra Magnus is a few circuits shy of a full processor, you know what I mean?” he said jokingly.

Cliffjumper simply glared at him. He respected Ultra Magnus and the bot was like a grandfather to Axletron, one of the few father figures he could depend on and look up to. But before he even had the chance to open his mouth, Sentinel just kept on talking…and for some reason his voice sounded like it was coming out of a bunch of speakers.

“Oh sure he was the bot _back in the day_ ” Sentinel continued, “but now, Ultra Magnus is just a rusted out obsolete model, sorely in need of an upgrade.”

Looking around quickly, Cliffjumper spotted a microphone peeking through one of the open windows and mentally thought, _ohhh, that’s a good model_. It was no doubt acting as a speaker, projecting all of Sentinel’s insults across the base…very loudly. Cliffjumper was torn between telling Sentinel about the microphone and letting him keep flinging insults. It seems he didn’t have to do anything though because the blue bot suddenly added “…uh…where’s that echo coming from?”

Cliffjumper kept looking around for the files as Sentinel went to look outside, hiding a smirk. From the sound of Sentinel’s screaming and some poor cadet’s apologies, he’d been right about the microphone. Oh he hoped Kup heard those insults, he’d really tear Sentinel a new one.   

Cliffjumper looked down to hide a laugh and spotted the file he needed. Grabbing it, he headed for the door, recognizing one of Sentinel’s other cadets. It was the same yellow minibot that had been standing on one leg with an oil drum in each hand. Sentinel had named him Bumblebee, because of his ‘bumbling.’ No doubt it was a hit to that ego the size of Moon Base 1. Cliffjumper didn’t know what he’d been trying to do with that spy satellite, but it looked like he was going to have to talk to the tech center about loaning materials to single-anos again. The tech center wasn’t supposed to check out spy gear to bots that weren’t in the Intel program or in certain advanced classes of the Intel program, when they began using the supplies to practice espionage.

Sentinel was still yelling his chin off. Cliffjumper cut in when he finally stopped to take a breath. “Calm down Sentinel or the whole base will come see what you’re yelling about.”

Sentinel sent a cautious look around them. Sure enough, a few curious students were peeking around the corner of a building or two to see the blow up. They vanished quickly enough when Sentinel looked their way. “Alright.” Sentinel grumbled, glaring back at his cadet. “Give me that!” he hollered grabbing the microphone, making it screech loudly with the static and causing them all to flinch. “Return this to the Intel Department for me would you Cliffjumper? My cadets have some transform-ups to do.”

Rolling his optics, Cliffjumper held out his hand for the tool. It was on his way back anyway. “Sure Sentinel.”

Cliffjumper watched the two bots march away, shaking his head. He sure hoped that bot quit while he was ahead, or he was going to be in for a heap of hurt. Ah well, he still had work to do. So he left it at that and returned to his office wondering what he should make for dinner. Axletron had liked that sweet energon pie, he might make that again. He’d probably be tired when he got home since he was spending the day with Wheeljack and Percy. They usually showed him some new equipment after his check-up. Maybe they could order take out, they didn’t get that very often and Axle may enjoy something different.

As they walked home a little later, Cliffjumper was positive he heard Sentinel shouting, “A Hundred forty seven!...A hundred forty eight!...A hundred forty nine!...”

Cliffjumper flinched. Those bots were going to be fragged off when Sentinel let up. He did not want to be Bumblebee anytime soon.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sentinel walked into Cliffjumper’s office with little more than a knock before he dropped a tool in front of him and asked, “Is this a spying tool?”

Cliffjumper had simply stared at him flatly, greeting him sarcastically, “oh, hello there Cliffjumper. Sorry to bug you at work but I need you to check this out for me……”Cliffjumper picked up the device, “where did you get this?” he asked in shock. It was a miniature long range transmitter! It held a very specific link so you could only use it to call one, maybe two bots max but the line was absolutely secure. It didn’t matter if you had a bug attached right inside it, it still wouldn’t pick anything up. Stuff like this was used for undercover agents to ensure safe communication…what was it doing with Sentinel?

“One of my cadets found it in another’s private locker.” Sentinel replied stiffly.

Cliffjumper had to find out who the thing called. He pulled out his hacking terminal from his desk drawer. It was a small, purely hard-link computer detached to protect the rest of the network from viruses or tricks. He connected it to the transmitter, watching as the screen went through the regular base hack, calling up the basics. A single contact number appeared, 19 digits long. Decepticons used 19 digit contact numbers. Autobots used 14 digits, entertainment industries 10 digits. Heck! Even traders used 23 digit numbers. No one but Cons used 19 digits. He ran the number through the database, hoping it was a mistake. Unfortunately, it had a match. This transmitter was set to contact the DWS Super Nova. _The Decepticon Warship Super Nova!_   It was one of Megatron’s most powerful warships, second only to the Nemesis! “Slag…” Cliffjumper groaned.

“What!?” Sentinel asked, trying to peer over the desk at Cliffjumper screen. “What!?”

“We’ve got a spy.” He said, picking up the small computer and the transmitter. Highbrow was in his office, going over reports right now, he had to be informed of this. Sending the bot a quick message, he instantly received the reply to enter. Locking his desktop, he picked up the device, grabbed Sentinel by the arm and tugged him into Highbrow’s office, “come on.”

As the door closed behind them, Highbrow looked up, “what is it?”

Cliffjumper and Sentinel saluted respectfully before coming stepping forward to place the small monitor on his desk. “Sir, Sentinel Minor found this among one of his new cadets, it’s linked up to the Decepticon Warship Super Nova.” he explained.

Highbrow examined the device, “you are sure?”

Cliffjumper nodded, a bit peeved that Highbrow was still second guessing him after so long, “yes sir, it only has a 19 digit contact in its memory.”

“Who is this Cadet, Sentinel Minor?” Highbrow asked Sentinel.

“Sir, he was of the latest molded group, a 65356-9292-346 model. His name is Wasp.”

“And you are positive this belongs to him?”

“Yes sir, it was found in his private locker by another cadet, who was backed up by another cadet that held similar suspicions of a spy on the team.”

“Are either of these cadets on the track to Intel?”

“Just one sir, his name is Longarm.” 

“Yes, I know the bot. He is in several of my classes…” Highbrow said softly. He taught many of the upper division Intel courses, though it was on a bi-anocycle basis. “…We can’t risk it. Cliffjumper, arrest him and take him to the detainment center while I set up a trial date with the counsel. Dismissed.” He said, picking up the device and heading out the door as Cliffjumper and Sentinel saluted goodbye.

“…You go keep your cadets in one place. I’ll get a restraint cart.” Cliffjumper explained simply, working hard to not show how nervous he was inside. He didn’t like trials, he didn’t like arresting Autobots, and he didn’t like sending them out the door knowing they had scrap of a nice future to look forward to…it gave him too much cannon fodder for his own fears….after all…what if that was him someday? What if the truth finally came out and he’s be picked up by some random Autobot worker for a trial that would send him to the stockades and land Axletron in a foster home if he was lucky and The Well if he wasn’t!

As Sentinel headed off, Cliffjumper headed to the brig. It was basically a small jail cell for misbehaving bots, the ones that got in trouble for pranks or fighting. He checked out a restraint cart and headed for the kid’s dorms, coming Sentinel as it got into view. : I’m almost there. Send the other cadets out, I’ll go in through the back door.:

An affirmative ping was the only answer he got back. As he entered through the back door, he saw a green minibot standing at attention next to Sentinel, but he couldn’t hide the confusion in his blue optics when he spotted the cart. Cliffjumper took a bracing breath and sent Sentinel a small glare, daring him to make a noise as he spoke. “Cadet Wasp, you’ve been accused of espionage and treason against the Autobots. You will be criminally detained until your trial date. Please step into the restraint cart.” He explained flatly, insides curling as he listened to himself sounding so flat and cold. How could Perceptor live like this?

Wasp was in shock. He kept looking from the cart to his private locker to Sentinel, as though he didn’t understand how they fit together. “Sir?” he asked softly.

Sentinel glared but kept his mouth shut, instead turning on his heel and heading out the door, effectively telling Wasp that he wasn’t going to intervene. Wasp kept staring at the door even as it closed behind his sergeant. “But I’m innocent.” He whispered, not moving a muscle.

“If you resist, I’ll have to utilize lethal force.” Cliffjumper explained softly. _Don’t make this harder and just come quietly please,_ he mentally pleaded. He couldn’t actually say it though. To say that would imply weakness or sympathy, and both could be manipulated, especially by a Decepticon spy, if that was what the kid really was.

Wasp turned to look at the waiting restraint cart again, as though he couldn’t understand what it was. Silently, stiffly, he stepped into it. Cliffjumper closed the clasps, locking him in and began pushing the cart out the door, feeling sick all the way.

It was when he was driving the bot past his team mates and sergeant that the bot finally regained his voice and shouted out, “But I’m innocent I tell you! You’re making a big mistake! All of you!”

Sentinel stepped forward, blocking his clean path to lean into the kid and say, “Mute it traitor!” before ripping his Autobot sigil off his chassis. It seemed in the end he just couldn’t keep his big mouth shut.

As Cliffjumper glared at Sentinel to make him move out of the way, the kid suddenly turned to the yellow minibot. “I’ll get you Bumblebee! If it’s the last thing I do!”

As Cliffjumper walked away, he heard Sentinel say to the bot, “well that took spark kid. I may even have to rethink your name…what was it again?”

Cliffjumper had to keep himself from growling. Not even out of sight and Sentinel had already condemned the kid to a life in the stockades, not worth his interest. Wasp kept declaring his innocence all the way to the detention cell, like he was trying to convince himself of it, like he was trying to hold himself together. Something told Cliffjumper this kid wasn’t the most stable of minds and with that thought, Galvatron crashed to the forefront of his processor. Was this kid going to turn out like Galvatron? Crazy with delusional visions and lost opportunities? Cliffjumper quickly hid his fear as he entered the cell. Highbrow was already there, along with some autotroopers.

“The counsel is assembling.” Highbrow explained handing Cliffjumper an official data pad. “Debrief them while I perform the interrogation.”

Cliffjumper nodded and turned over Wasp to the Autotrooper. He watched them all go into an interrogation room before leaving for the council meeting room, scanning the pad Highbrow had given him for any addition information he needed to share. There wasn’t any.

The trial didn’t last long. Wasp came in, said his piece, but in the end there was just too much evidence against him. Highbrow had learned that he had been bullying Bumblebee, the cadet that blew the whistle on him, in a disturbingly Decepticon-like manner. He was suspected of tampering with the battle settings of the weapons during a simulation, endangering several cadets with live ammunition instead of the paint balls they used for non-lethal combat training. Highbrow figured he’d been newly initiated into the Decepticons by an unknown agent after being forged, which would explain his sloppiness on the mission, being overheard and now captured. The transmitter, his attitude, his single-ano status were all points against him. The counsel judged him guilty and sentenced him to the stockades. Wasp screamed his innocence as the troopers drove him away. It seemed something had snapped. Cliffjumper simply watched on and wrote it all down, though considering how it was burning itself into his processor, he really didn’t see the point.

The yells kept echoing in his head…he needed a drink.

**End chapter 68**


	69. Post-Wasp

Cliffjumper sat next to Sentinel at Macadam’s, a tall cube of oil half gone. “Your 5th team…one traitor, two demoted to repair duty, one transferred to another unit and one an ano-cycle away from graduating.” He said, ticking each one off with his fingers. “You know, I may not have had a normal academy experience…but don’t teams usually stay together for at least 2 ano-cycles before going off?”

Sentinel just grumbled “I pulled a bad lot this time” and took another sip from his drink. They’d come to Macadam’s several times since they first snuck off base, though now they were actually allowed to do it, but Sentinel had been much more careful about how much he drank. He was hoping to hold his liquor a little better with practice.

“You still haven’t explained how Bumblebee and Bulkhead got demoted.” Cliffjumper said, giving the taller bot a look. He’d learned all of the bot’s names for the official report on Wasp and inputted them into the Intel system as witnesses. The database kept track of all the bots on record, which was how he’d learned that Sentinel had reassigned them. “Bee just caught a traitor, how did the tide turn so soon?”

“The big one technically wasn’t demoted, he wanted to be a space bridge technician and the license for that only takes an ano-cycle or so to earn if you get the stuff. The bumbler was the one that dropped the building on me.” Sentinel added, glaring at his broken arm.

Cliffjumper snickered into his oil, earning himself a glare from the blue bot. The mini had gotten a lot of amusement from the accident after he learned Sentinel was alright. He just thought it funny how Sentinel would just stand there and let a building fall on him instead of running out of the way. He’d never really had any actual combat experience though, so Cliff wasn’t super surprised that the bot froze.

“At least I won’t have to deal with new cadets for a while.” Sentinel replied cryptically, trying to up the affronted act, but he couldn’t hide his smirk completely.

“What do you mean?” Cliffjumper asked, attention suddenly completely back on the bot. As far as Cliffjumper knew, Sentinel was going to be assigned a new team. The way it usually worked was that every year, minors graduated and took on the newly forged bots under their wings. They usually stayed with the team for basic training, usually an ano-cycle or two, before they were passed over to an older, more experienced drill sergeant, like Kup, for their more advanced studies. Since Sentinel’s team was essentially broken up, he would have been assigned a new set of newly forged bots for the new school ano-cycle. What was he getting at saying he wasn’t going to deal with any new cadets for a while? “…You’re going on a mission!?” Cliffjumper exclaimed with sudden realization, slamming his glass on the table with a _clack_.

“You got it.” Sentinel replied, smirk full on now. He was pretty proud of himself after all. He, Elita and Optimus had been assigned an independent scouting mission. They were going to be completely on their own, running the ship, doing the work, making the decisions! It wasn’t a hard mission, they just needed to make sure there weren’t any major events occurring on the planet that could threaten the Autobots. The only downside was that it was a disgusting Organic planet…

“That’s great!” Cliffjumper said, clapping Sentinel on the back. “Congratulations Sentinel! Where are you going?”

“Archa Seven.”

Cliffjumper nodded. He knew the Archa system, it was a neutral, unclaimed galaxy within the Autobot commonwealth. Neutral and unclaimed because there weren’t any forms of intelligent life or natural resources anyone wanted on any of the planets. It was a good test drive for new Autobots though, since it allowed them to command a ship through space as a team without any major threats. “When?”  he asked. The school’s ano-cycle was almost over. The students were probably in the midst of finals.

“Two mega-cycles, Optimus and Elita need to finish up with their teams.” Sentinel huffed, “I’m probably going to be stuck on punishment duty till then.” Punishment duty was basically a way to keep the younger Minors busy, by making them oversee the punishment of the pranksters, bullies and general riffraff on base.

“Better than monitor duty.” Cliffjumper added. “Besides, at least you get to go off planet. See the universe and all that. Elita’s probably really excited about it.” He added, smirking a bit when he noticed Sentinel’s fingers dance nervously around his glass.

“Yeah…she is.” He said simply, not looking at the mini. Elita-1 had been the most excited out of all of them about the trip. She couldn’t wait to head out. Sentinel had to admit, she made it sound all the more exciting…not that he’d ever say that…out loud.

“Just make sure to stop by and say goodbye to Axletron.” Cliffjumper intoned, deciding to spare the bot some embarrassment over his crush. “I’m not covering for you if he asks where his Uncle Sentinel has gone.”

Sentinel chuckled, flinching when he jogged his still bandaged arm, “Yeah, alright, I will.”   

“And be careful out there! You don’t have any experience with organic planets so follow procedure.” Cliffjumper cautioned, just for good measure.

“Calm down. It’s just a surveillance mission. What could possibly go wrong?”

Cliffjumper simply shrugged and downed the rest of his oil. It wasn’t nearly as much as he wanted to drink but he’d rather Axletron _never_ see him drunk. “I need to get home, I’ll catch you later, alright?”

Sentinel nodded, lifting his glass in farewell. Cliffjumper waved goodbye to Mascardo the bartender, and Lickity-split the waitress, before transforming and heading back to base. Axle was probably missing him as it was. Cliff was certainly missing his little spot of sunshine.

**End chapter 69**


	70. Yoketron's Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am totally screwing with the Transformers Animated history here. I don’t have the time to write over thousands of years. Everything’s basically happening within Axletron’s lifetime, which at this point is like…he’s three ano-cycles, so about 9 human years. And it’s all post-war.

A few cycles after Sentinel and his team left the planet, Yoketron’s dojo was attacked.

It was an ambush and on top of Yoketron’s life, they took the protoforms he’s been responsible for guarding since the Great War. Before Project Omega had been finalized and implemented, the plan had been to use all the protoforms at once in a massive strike against the Decepticons. It was very unlikely many would have survived. Luckily, it didn’t come to that. Instead, the protoforms had been used to create new Generations of Autobots, slowly but surely raising the population from war-time lows. But it seemed the population would be stagnant until new protoforms could be produced.

The ceremony had been quiet, but big. Every Ninja-bot that could make it came to pay their final respects to Yoketron. A large holo statue had been dedicated to the bot in front of the main Dojo. The pedestal was covered with crystal flowers. Jazz gave a great eulogy. Cliffjumper hadn’t said much. Ultra Magnus and the ninja-bots had more to say then he did. The only one that said less than him was Warpath. Warpath had been silent the entire time, motionlessly staring at the coffin, and when it had been put in the ground, at the statue.

After the ceremony, Cliffjumper went to where the bot was gazing at a holo-statue of his master. He didn’t say anything, just stood there quietly. He was a lot like Warpath. He didn’t like people digging into his business. If he had something to say, he’d say it when he wanted to, not when anyone else probed him. So he just stood there, gazing at the statue and thinking about what Axletron might have had for lunch and waiting for Warpath to say something, if anything at all.

“…I never thought he’d be taken down…” Warpath finally spoke. “I mean…I’ve seen plenty of warriors…but not like Master Yoketron. I never thought he’d…lose…”

“No one’s unbeatable…no matter how much we may want them to be.” Cliffjumper replied sadly. He’d really admired Yoketron. He’d looked forward to introducing Axletron to him when he was older…now he thought that he should have done it sooner. Axletron would never get to know the bot that had helped Cliffjumper when he was carrying…would never be able to bask in his calming aura or listen to his words of wisdom…it was just like how Axletron didn’t know Galvatron. He didn’t know his humor, or his quirks, or his love. They were all just shadows in the dark. Cliffjumper kept hoping though, that he’d find Galvatron. He didn’t really know what he would do once he did, but he still just wanted to find him.

Axletron hadn’t been allowed to come with him, something that really grinded Cliffjumper gears! Sometimes it was like Alpha Trion was the parent instead of him, like he was the one that’d given birth to Axle! Cliffjumper had to keep grinding his denta and biting his glossa though. It wouldn’t be right to snap at the superior he owed so much too, or so Cliffjumper kept telling himself. Sooner or later he was going to snap. Especially with this. Yoketron’s death had given him a new perspective. He didn’t want Axletron to live in a glass case his whole life!

Even if he wasn’t allowed to take Axletron off the base (yet), Cliffjumper was resolved to make his life as exciting as possible. He’d try new foods, learn about everything they could get their servos on, try everything on base and anything else they could bring from the outside, meet as many bots as possible. And what Alpha Trion didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Cliffjumper knew it wasn’t a lot, but Axletron wouldn’t be a sparkling forever and someday…he was going to branch out on his own, like all bots did. “What happened to Prowl?” Cliffjumper asked suddenly, looking around and realizing he hadn’t heard or seen the bot Yoketron claimed to be one of his best students. He’d never met the bot personally, but he’s heard so much about him it was almost like he had. Yoketron had often said that Prowl was a rebel, not satisfied with the status quo. The bot had branched out every which way to find a place to belong, just like Cliffjumper feared Axletron would have to do.

Warpath’s gaze narrowed. “Kid didn’t want to stay anymore…I can’t even blame him…” he added with a bitter chuckle. “…It’s funny. Prowl was probably the only bot that could ever hope to match Yoketron…the only one I thought would be able to do that Processor over Matter thing. No one had ever come close to Yoketron but that draft-dodger. He was a natural…at first I wished I could have that inborn talent…now I can’t think of a bigger curse.”

Cliffjumper frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I think the kid blames himself….after all, he was the best. He knew he was the closest to Yoketron, but it wasn’t enough. It’s a lot of pressure being at the top.” Warpath explained. “He was on an Optics quest when it happened. Came back to find the dojo destroyed and Master Yoketron on the brink of going offline…and to top it off he hadn’t even succeeded on his optics quest. If I were in his peds…I’d feel like I let Master Yoketron down…”

Cliffjumper swallowed thickly. Primus fordid Axletron ever experience that kind of pressure, especially with him being the only sparkling of the era. “Any clue where he went?” he asked. Yoketron had really cared for the kid, like Cliff cared for Axletron, he’d hate for something to happen to him now, especially since the kid was such a loner already.

“Caught up with him as he was heading out. Said he was going to try and commune with the All Spark in deep space…” Warpath sighed heavily and set a heavy servo on the flower covered pedestal. “…I hope he succeeds. Kid may be a draft-dodging-peacenik…but he’s also an honorable ninja-bot. Master Yoketron believed in him…he believed in all of us…I’m not going to slack off or let him down now.” With that, Warpath bowed respectfully before his master and left with only a farewell nod to Cliffjumper. The mini watched as the tank walked towards a bright colored femme. Apparently she had been waiting. They left together.

Cliffjumper stayed with the statue for a minute before saluting respectfully. “Thank you for everything Yoketron. May your spark rest in the Well of All Sparks.”

Cliffjumper picked up a few recipe books on the way home. Axletron would like trying some new things. And Cliffjumper could really use a bright smile right now. Sadly…Yoketron’s death wasn’t all the bad news Cliffjumper would get in the incoming mega-cycles.

End chapter 70


	71. A Drunk Awakening

It was the middle of the night and Cliffjumper was actually having a good night’s sleep, when he received the call. Rolling over to click his comm link, he accepted the call without even looking at the caller, snuggling into his pillow as he heard a very high-pitched, sort of familiar voice, shouting frantically at him.

“Hello? Hello?” it asked. 

“Yes? Who is this?” Cliffjumper mumbled out, trying to wake up more. Maybe it was an emergency Intel call. He hadn’t met all of the agents personally but he got their reports and they knew his number in case something went wrong.

“Lickity-Split” the bot said. Well she obviously wasn’t an agent. It was the waitress at Maccadam’s. Apparently she was working the night shift today. “Listen, Sentinel is here, like, majorly overcharged...”

A few grunts filtered in the background and Cliffjumper could just make out Sentinel’s annoyed voice. “Oh slag” he groaned as he forced himself to pull away from his comfortable bed and sit up, calling the young femme’s attention back to him.

“Come get him?” she pleaded. Cliffjumper could already imagine her rolling nervously on her wheels trying to keep Sentinel from pulling a stupid drunk stunt.

Cliffjumper replied with a sigh, “I’ll be right there…”

“Thank you!” she said quickly, cutting the call.

“Yeah.” Cliffjumper untangled himself from his sheets and hoped off the bed, cursing all the way. Grabbing Sentinel shouldn’t take more than a micro-cycle, but he couldn’t leave Axel home alone. And he couldn’t take him out either, Alpha Trion would kill him. Besides, it was the middle of the night! He could go without sleep, but it would throw Axle’s sleeping schedule into chaos! He’d have to call in a favor. Praying Hound wouldn’t be too pissed with him, he commed the former scout.

Amazingly enough, Hound answered almost immediately. :Cliffjumper? What’s wrong?:

:I’m sorry Hound, did I wake you?:

:No, I’ve been awake. I don’t usually sleep the first few nights…: he explained. Cliffjumper understood then. Mirage had gone on a mission just a cycle or so ago and Hound couldn’t sleep. :What’s up?: Hound asked.

:Sentinel’s drunk and I need to go get him. Could you please watch Axeltron? It really shouldn’t take me more than a micro-cycle: Cliffjumper explained quickly, checking in on Axle as he did. The youngling was still sound-asleep in his crib. He had fallen asleep chewing on the corner of his blanket, watching his nightlight change color.

:Yeah, sure I’ll be right there!: Hound replied, cutting the call. Not a nano-cycle later, Hound was at his door.

“Thank you so much Hound! I owe you a huge one!” Cliffjumper exclaimed as he let the bot in. “Axletron is sleeping in his room, I’ll be back as soon as I can!” He added as he headed out the door. Hound simply smiled and nodded.

“You go ahead, we’ll be alright.”

With a final grateful smile, Cliffjumper headed out the door, leaving Hound to watch over his greatest joy. After a few moments of silence, Hound went to the sparkling’s bedroom. Just as Cliffjumper had said, he was asleep in his crib. Hound smiled at the sight, Axletron had flung himself out on his berth, limbs splayed out with the corner of his favorite blue blanket in his mouth. A soft nightlight on the crib’s side glowed dimly, illuminating the youngling’s face. Hound couldn’t believe how much the sparkling had grown since he was born. He’d been super tiny then, able to fit in a single one of Cliffjumper’s arms, but now the mini needed both of his hands to hold the youngling.

Slowly, so as not to wake the sparkling up, Hound tugged his blanket over him, pulling it free from his mouth. Softly, he touched the small hand with his finger, smiling as Axel automatically clutched it. This sparkling made him feel so peaceful. Whenever Mirage left for a mission, he couldn’t sleep. He worried for days and nights on end until Mirage came back. But with Axel, the fear had all but vanished, replaced with hope and trust that Mirage would come back to him…like he always had before. Smiling, and feeling much better, Hound sat on the chair by the crib, hoping Cliffjumper would take a little while coming back.

By all looks and appearances, it seemed Hound would get his wish.

Maccadam’s was built after the end of the First War and had lasted through everything since then. It remained the only two-story business in the midst of soaring towers in the hub of the city. It usually drew a huge crowd on the weekend, but in the middle of the working week in the middle of the night, anyone that didn’t have to be there was asleep, leaving only the waitress, the night bartender and one or two stragglers. Cliffjumper found Sentinel slumped over the bar, a half full glass of pure glowing High-grade on the counter before him.

“How much has he had?” Cliffjumper asked the bartender when he reached Sentinel’s side. It wasn’t Moscardo, but another bartender.

“That first half.” He grunted with a sad nod. Cliffjumper had to admit, it was kind of pathetic. But then again, Sentinel had never drunk much, being born and bred in the academy with rations and such. Any other time they’d come here he’d drunk oil. The only reason he was able to handle half a glass was probably because he was a large bot.

“Sentinel!” He called as he tugged on his arm. Sentinel was no Ultra Magnus but he was still a pretty big bot. “Sentinel! We have to get back to base! It’s the middle of the night!” It took some coaxing and threatening but Cliffjumper was finally able to force Sentinel on his peds, wrap an arm around his shoulder and half walk half carry him out the door. Sentinel didn’t say a word the entire time, but Cliffjumper knew something must have gone wrong on his mission to drive him here as soon as he got back, earlier than expected no less. So far as the mini knew, Sentinel had been on an off planet scouting mission, supposedly no risk. He had been there to see Sentinel and his team off but hadn’t expected him back for a few more cycles.

As he wondered at what could have happened, Sentinel started leaning more heavily on him. “AH! Watch it Sentinel or we’ll both be kissing pavement!” He whispered harshly, trying to keep the bot standing. Then he noticed Sentinel was trembling. “…Sentinel?” Cliffjumper asked, looking up to the bot’s faceplate. The blue bot had covered his face with his servo, hiding his optics, but Cliffjumper could see him biting his lip, trying not to let out a sound as his knees shook with the effort to stay standing.

Cliffjumper froze. Sentinel never cried. He whined and moaned and yelled and complained but he never _cried_. Something _horrible_ must have happened on the mission. Optimus or Elita-1 must have gotten hurt. But if that was so, what was Sentinel doing here and not at their bedside…unless he felt guilty about it…? Meaning it was his fault? He had to sort this out, but not in the middle of the street. Steeling himself, Cliffjumper stood up taller, forcing the bot to his peds, “Come on Sentinel, we’re almost there. Just hold on a little longer. Just till we make it home…I know you’re strong enough to do that for me.”

Taking a deep bracing breath, Sentinel forced himself to keep walking. Every step felt heavier than the last, but Sentinel kept going, if only for the bot that was currently holding him up. He probably didn’t deserve the mini’s help. But the mini didn’t know what happened. Sentinel had wanted to drink the pain away, but he’d only made it worse. His spark burned, his mind was flooded with Elita. Every moment of their time together kept flashing through his mind.

He could still remember the first time he saw her. She’d been protoformed in the batch right before him. He’d onlined his optics just in time to watch her plating change from a cold grey into a warm sunny yellow. It had been the first color he’d ever seen. She’d been the sun to him ever since. She brightened up so many of his days with her confident words and her sparkling smile and her glowing paintjob…now…the last sight Sentinel had of her…was of her  falling to her death, her paintjob obscured and tainted by dirt and organic webs and the energon exploding around her…and he…completely _helpless_ to save her….

_How did it happen? How did it go so wrong_? Sentinel wondered, wracking his brain. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She was still supposed to be here. When he’d suggested to go planet-side, he never expected anyone to get hurt, let alone…offline…it wasn’t his fault…it’s wasn’t! That planet shouldn’t have been open to anybot if it was so dangerous! It shouldn’t even exist! It and every organic monster on it should be blown up! And Optimus! Optimus was just as much to blame. He should have stopped them! He could have saved Elita-one! He should have protected her! If he’d gone back for her like Sentinel had said! If Optimus hadn’t given up so quickly, he could have saved her and everything would be different! She would still be here! Yes…it was all Optimus’s fault those organics got her. It was _his_ idea to blow up the cave, _his_ download that gave out, _his_ grappling hook that had missed Elita! Him and those fragging organics were to blame!

“Sentinel?” Cliffjumper asked as he pulled the bot through his front gate. The bot had been silent for several kliks, his fists shaking in what Cliffjumper figured was distress…but the bot’s optics were glowing with rage and his mouth was set in a deep frown. Cliffjumper could feel the blue bot’s engine _rumbling_ against his back. “Sentinel…Are you alright?” Cliffjumper asked with a dry swallow. “…what happened Sentinel…?” he asked softly.

That’s when Sentinel broke. “…Elita’s gone.” He sobbed, voice cracking, tears finally springing free. He sank to his knees on the porch, dragging Cliffjumper down with him as hid body shook with heavy sobs. “She’s gone…!”

Cliffjumper froze, holding onto the blue bot as well he could, trying to understand. It didn’t make sense? Was there an accident on the ship? The mission was supposed to be no risk! Were they attacked? Was it Decepticons? “But how Sentinel?” Cliffjumper asked pleasingly, “did something go wrong with the ship?”

Sentinel hiccupped, “We went planet side, just to get a look around…we f-fell into an underground cavern and…found a Decepticon ship, stock full of energon!”

Cliffjumper’s voice caught in his throat. “A…An actual Decepticon ship…? Were there any cons on board?” he asked, not sure what kind of answer he wanted.

“No, it was abandoned…”

Cliffjumper cursed inside his head, but kept the disappointment out of his faceplate. Sentinel said the ship had energon on it. It could have been an emergency stockpile for Decepticons in the area, meaning that they were nearby! Meaning Galvatron had to be close too! This was as good as a sign saying _We are here! “_ But if there weren’t Decepticons on board, how had Elita…”

“…there were these organic…monsters!” Sentinel continued, clutching the banister of the porch. “Huge _things_ with eight legs and a lot of eyes that shot out webbing and lived in the underground caves. They attacked us!”

He had to be talking about the arachnids on the planet. They were the only inhabitants of Archa Seven. They lived completely underground and were altogether very primitive animals so they never got in the way of surface explorations or space craft flying and landing practice. The cadets were never supposed to encounter them, which was why briefs for the mission usually just mentioned them in a footnote and said to leave them alone. That’s why the mission was classified as no-risk! “Sentinel, where’s Optimus?”  Cliffjumper asked suddenly.

Sentinel suddenly snarled at him. “It’s all his fault!”

“What!?” Cliffjumper asked, completely surprised.

“It’s his fault Elita’s gone!” Sentinel shouted. “If he had gone back for her, or if he’d stayed on the ship he would have been able to call for help or save her! But he just let her fall! He only saved himself! IT’S HIS FUALT SHE’S OFFLINE!”

The yell echoed down the cold street. Cliffjumper was positive Axletron would wake up now, but he could hardly think about it. He was still trying to figure out what happened. They went on the planet, got attacked and lost Elita-1. Accidents like this were common with rookies during the war, but Cliffjumper didn’t think they still happened now! Now when they got so much training and experience beforehand! One thing he’d learned from those incidents though was that the kids always had to blame someone, be it their teammate, or the brass, or the Decepticons, someone had to be responsible for their loss, their pain. Sentinel was thinking the same way. Cliffjumper knew Optimus was probably having as hard a time with Elita’s passing. Hopefully the bot could hold out. For now, he had to make sure Sentinel didn’t do anything he’d regret. “Um…Sentinel…” Cliffjumper tried softly, really at a loss of what to say. “Maybe…maybe you’re looking at this a bit…rashly?” he suggested, cringing at the irony of _him_ saying that, but pressing on, “It’s late, you’re overcharged, you’ll probably think completely different after a good night’s rest…alright? Come on…”

Cliffjumper tugged Sentinel inside, sitting him down on the big sofa even as the bot kept trembling. Cliffjumper sat beside the bot in the overlarge armchair, holding the larger servo in his two smaller ones. “Listen Sentinel…I know, that right now, it hurts. I’m sorry to tell you that it’s not going to get better anytime soon…but…” Cliffjumper faltered…what has he supposed to say? He didn’t have a clue…

 “Why did it happen Cliffjumper…?” Sentinel asked quietly, blankly staring at the floor.

“…there wasn’t any reason…It was just an accident. No one could have predicted it and there’s nothing we can do about it now…” Cliffjumper answered softly, struggling to swallow.

“We should have stayed on the ship…”

Internally, Cliffjumper agreed, but he knew hindsight had 20/20 vision.“…It was a mistake Sentinel…a heavy mistake with heavy consequences. But you can’t let that hurt blind you to everything else. You’re still here Sentinel…you can use what you’ve learned so this doesn’t happen again…” Cliffjumper knew it was a hard way to learn a lesson, but a way everyone had to learn some time.

Sentinel seemed to perk up after a moment, blinking a spark back into his optics“…You’re right Cliffjumper…it was a mistake…one I will make sure _never_ happens again… _never_ …” he declared. He’d decided. From now on, he’d enforce the rules the way they should be enforced. No one was going to make a mistake like this again. No one under his watch would ever make a mistake! He’d coach the best Autobots in the universe. The most loyal, obedient, intelligent, rule-abiding bots to ever grace the base’s ground! He would!

Decided, Sentinel let out a deep breath.  It didn’t take long for the overcharged and exhausted bot to fall asleep. When he’d finally sunk into the cushions and began to snore, Cliffjumper slipped his servo out of the bot’s grip, grabbed him a blanket and went upstairs to check on Axleton and Hound. Hound yawned where sat on the rocking chair by the crib as Cliffjumper entered. Axletron was still safe and sound.

“Hey Hound.” Cliff greeted softly, sinking against the crib to peek on Axle.

“Kid settle down?” Hound asked. He’d heard the shouts, though he didn’t know the whole story. His spark certainly went out to Sentinel and Optimus, but he knew a relative stranger wouldn’t be welcomed into such an intimate scene.

“He’s knocked out if that what you mean…” Cliffjumper replied. “Thank you for watching Axletron for me.”

Hound smiled, glancing at the sleeping youngling. “Anytime Cliff; I mean that. Just being around him tonight…really calmed me down…” the former scout picked himself up off the rocking chair, leaning over the crib’s end to stroke one of Axletron’s horns, making the youngling giggle in his sleep.

“I know what you mean…” Cliff replied with a relieved sigh.

Hound placed a comforting servo on Cliffjumper’s shoulder with a smile. “I’ll catch you later Cliffjumper. I’m going to go get some recharge.”

“Ok, thanks again Hound!” Cliffjumper whispered back urgently as the bot headed down the stairs with only a goodbye wave back. Cliffjumper heard his front door slid close with a click. Sitting in the newly vacant rocking chair, Cliffjumper swung back and forth for a few klicks, just watching Axle breathe and thinking about what Sentinel had said about not making the mistake again…he wasn’t sure if he knew what the mistake really was…

_Never_ once did Cliffjumper say it was _Sentinel’s_ fault…but later, during Optimus’s hearing, he couldn’t help but think that maybe he _should_ have.

End chapter 71


	72. The Expulsion Hearing

Cliffjumper hugged Axletron as the sparkling tried to read a story to him, pointing at the pictures and mumbling sweetly. It had been such a horrible deca-cycle. As though Elita’s passing hadn’t been enough, Optimus’ expulsion hearing was tomorrow. Cliffjumper had to be present to take notes. For now, he was trying to suck in as much of the calm as he could with Axle. It was so nice to just lay here with Axletron and read.

There was suddenly a knock at his door. Shifting Axletron from his lap to the sofa, Cliffjumper went to answer it, and was greeted by the surprising sight of Ultra Magnus! “Ultra Magnus!” Cliffjumper exclaimed, saluting.

The large bot simply smiled nervously. “That’s alright Cliffjumper, we’re off duty right now. I hope I’m not bothering you, but I was wondering if I could speak with you for a moment…” he trailed off, but Cliffjumper could still hear the silent _“and visit Axel for a bit.”_

Cliffjumper stepped aside to let the larger bot enter, “Of course Ultra Magnus! Axel’s in the living room, go say hi while I get us some energon” he said with a small smirk.

Smiling gratefully, Ultra Magnus made a beeline for the youngling, and it wasn’t an instant later when Cliffjumper heard Axel unleash a squeal of delight at seeing the older bot and the quick pitter patter of ped-steps and the youngling ran to his “Grandpa Magnus!” Ultra Magnus rarely got to visit Axletron, being busy with the whole planet and such, but the sparkling still adored him.

Grabbing some cubes for himself and Magnus, Cliffjumper made a small snack for Axel. When he returned to the living room, he was unsurprised to see Ultra Magnus bouncing a giddy Axletron on his knee, letting the youngling babble his audios off with nothing more than a soft smile on his old faceplate.

They spent some time humoring Axletron, but it was late and it wasn’t long before the youngling fell asleep. Cliffjumper quietly took the sparkling to his room and put him to bed, covering him with his favorite blue blanket. After making sure he turned on the nightlight, he closed the door and returned downstairs, where Ultra Magnus was staring at the toy cluttered floor.

“What did you want to talk about Ultra Magnus?” Cliffjumper asked as he deftly began to pick up toys, returning them to their chest. Books went back into the book case, video disks into their boxes and stuffed animals were thrown on the sofa. It was a routine for Cliffjumper now, cleaning up after Axletron at night. In a way, it was almost soothing for him.

“…will you be present for the hearing tomorrow…for Optimus…?” Ultra Magnus asked softly.

“Yes….though I wish I wasn’t going to be.” Cliffjumper mumbled back softly. They were off duty after all, or at least as off duty as the Magnus could get.

Ultra Magnus sighed, slumping against the couch. “Nor do I. I just don’t understand how this could happen…Optimus…he…”

“He’s a good bot.” Cliffjumper said simply, pausing over the stuffed animals on the couch“…Even good bots make mistakes” he added softly as he began piling them up.  No bot was perfect. He’d sure made a lot of mistakes himself, just as Ultra Magnus had made a lot of mistakes when he first started out.

Ultra Magnus sighed heavily, “Not like this…not so soon.” Optimus didn’t even have a high enough rank to lead others in combat, yet he’d lost one member of his team, on a no-risk mission!  It was not the start to what Ultra Magnus was sure would be an astounding career for Optimus.

“It was an accident…a rookie mistake…”Cliffjumper persisted. He’d met plenty of rookies, and none of them got to be full-fledged mechs without making mistakes. He could still remember a few of his own, and he was positive others remembered them too. Especially Mirage. _Few bot would forget being called a traitor_ , Cliffjumper thought with a finch. How ironic that in the end, _he_ was the traitor, consorting and falling in love with a Decepticon and having a sparkling to show for it. “ It could have happened to anybot.”

“Anyone else perhaps, but not Optimus…I thought…well…being a hero…just isn’t in his programing I suppose…”

Cliffjumper bit his glossa to keep from saying anything, even as his spark flared in anger. Ultra Magnus was wrong! Bots weren’t born programed to be one thing or another! Galvatron hadn’t been programed a Decepticon, just like he hadn’t been programed an Autobot. Those were choices they’d made. Optimus was a good bot! He was caring and responsible, but he was young. He had a lot to learn but that didn’t count him out! He _could_ be a hero! He just needed the opportunity. Though…he had to admit that his opportunities were pretty slim now… “Isn’t there anything you can do? He’s a good Autobot Ultra Magnus, you know he is…”

“We cannot place him into the Elite Guard. What team would take him? What team would trust him with their sparks in combat?”

“He’s an Autobot, form and spark Ultra Magnus.” Cliffjumper pleaded, “He won’t survive as a civilian. He wasn’t meant for that kind of a life.” Cliffjumper knew that for a fact. You just couldn’t take the military out of some bots, himself included. He couldn’t imagine going back to civilian status. He knew Optimus was the same way. The kid wanted to be a part of something, no matter how small the role. “…what if you reassigned him?” Cliffjumper suggested abruptly.

“What?”

“To a non-combative team?” Cliffjumper said quickly, blurting it out without even really thinking.

Ultra Magnus looked like he was about to protest, but then a thoughtful frown filled his features. “Ratchet has recently returned hasn’t he?” Ultra Magnus asked. He’d known Ratchet since the War, and knew he was in charge of the decommissioned Omega supreme, doing cargo runs.

Cliffjumper nodded, not really seeing where Magnus was going with this. “Yes, he pulled in a few cycles ago to get repairs on the ship. After the Wasp incident, Bumblebee and Bulkhead joined him on Omega, since they didn’t hold high enough ranks to go out on their own. He’d been dragging them around on his cargo runs, repairing any space bridges along the way.”

“How is that working out?” Ultra Magnus asked.

Cliffjumper scowled and shrugged off the question. The Office of Mission Planning and Team Assignments had seen it as a great way to kill two birds with one shot.  Cliffjumper figured it was better than nothing. The space bridges weren’t being systematically repaired, and many were still experiencing glitches in the most remote places of the galaxy with no plans to fix them any time soon. “It fixes a few, but overall not many.”

“…I believe it’s time we made an official space bridge repair crew.” Ultra Magnus murmured with a growing smile. Ratchet was the highest ranking officer on board, but that was still only as head medic. The ship needed a captain, and Optimus could defiantly fill that position. Ultra Magnus knew it wasn’t much, but it _had_ to be better than nothing…right?

Cliffjumper blinked. Was Ultra Magnus thinking what Cliffjumper thought he was thinking? If he was, he sure hoped it would help Optimus.

\---

Cliffjumper really, _really_ did not want to be here. Sitting through the testimony alone had made him want to offline. Sentinel had blamed everything on Optimus, and the fire truck had said nothing in his defense, just standing there and taking it. Cliffjumper had wanted to jump out of his seat and punch him, yell at him to stand up for himself! But he’d bit his glossa and listened to the poison as it spewed out of Sentinel’s mouth. One thing for sure, Cliffjumper had gained an entirely new view on his friend…and he didn’t like it. He’d known Sentinel was a brat and a jerk and as obnoxious as his big chin…but to bury one of his oldest friends without a single sign of regret, or even reluctance? It made Cliffjumper wonder exactly how much of that Autobot loyalty Sentinel actually had. At least now he knew he would never share Axletron’s true conception with the blue bot. Ever.

After Sentinel and Optimus had left the room, the counsel sat to deliberate his punishment. Sentinel would be getting off scot-free, since Optimus accepted all of the blame.

“I move for immediate expulsion.” Perceptor said instantly, not wasting a moment. Cliffjumper flinched at his ruthlessness. Would he be so quick to decide if Cliffjumper were on trial for his affair with Galvatron? Optimus was the top of his class, the best student and friend to many bots. What chance did Cliffjumper have? 

 “He would be a valuable asset to the Autobots. I would hate to see his talent wasted in a civilian occupation.” Alpha Trion interjected, frowning sadly. He cared a great deal for Optimus, being one of his teachers and having known him for so long.

“But with this on his record is he really fit to teach or command others?” Botanica asked.  

“Not in combat settings” Ultra Magnus said. “However, Alpha Trion is correct. No matter the position, Optimus would perform it to the best of his ability for the Autobot cause. I move to give him the title of Prime, for which he has the skill level, and place him in command of the newly formed Space Bridge repair team. I know Optimus will provide the proper guidance and discipline for this team.”

“A Prime, Magnus?” Highbrow asked with disbelief. “You really think the kid deserves that?”

“With the exception of this tragic mission, Optimus has shown great loyalty, courage, and leadership. His teams are at the top of their class and his own scores in battle simulations and exercises are impeccable. Though he may not deserve the title, Optimus is more than capable of upholding the skills and behavior that is required of a Prime.” Ultra Magnus explained.

There were some considering mumbles and mummers among the council members and their seconds. Wheejack’s lights blinked rapidly as he spoke to Perceptor, no doubt trying to convince the bot. Alpha Trion was stroking his chin thoughtfully. By Cliffjumper’s side, Highbrow Prime leaned back in his chair thinking it over before. Cliffjumper pulled up Optimus’s Academy records for everyone, watching with baited breath as they deliberated. Highbrow eventually nodded approvingly, “It’s a good plan.”

After a moment, Ultra Magnus recalled the council’s attention “All in favor?” he asked, raising his own servo. Every bot followed suit. “Let the record show that on this date, the council unanimously agreed that Optimus Minor has been promoted to the rank of Prime…and is officially expelled from the Autobot academy as a student. His new duty is to act as commander to the Space Bridge repair crew and their ship. Perceptor, Wheeljack, please make sure they are ready to launch on schedule. I will inform Optimus Prime of this new development myself. Meeting adjourned.”

Cliffjumper typed furiously. Copying everything for the record while marking the time for the meeting’s end and accessing the private files. He updated Optimus’s ranking and listed his new post. He sent a message to Ratchet and his crew about the new development. Every bot picked up their stuff and left the room, they had more business to attend to.

And that was that. One of the most promising Minors in the Academy… was in charge of a repair crew.

\---

Optimus left the cycle after the decision was made. There wasn’t any great fanfare of course; it was only a repair crew after all. Ratchet was annoyed, but he didn’t like holding the highest rank on board so it didn’t really matter. Optimus checked in with Cliffjumper before leaving port, since he was the contact for the Space Bridge Nexus. They’d be communicating a lot with each other, since Cliffjumper had to deactivate bridges before they could work on them and then activate them again to make sure they were completely fixed. It was an awkward, but professional, transmission. Optimus gave him their planned trip and Cliffjumper wished them luck.

Optimus and his crew were heading for the outer system, where next to no space bridges worked. They’d work on the as many space bridges as they could on the way there, but the priority was getting to the ones farther out. They were the ones that needed the most repairs. In case of an attack on Autobot borders, those Space Bridges would form the front lines. Without them, the fighting would take place deeper into the system and thus closer to Cybertron.

It was actually a big job, but hardly anyone saw it that way. No one even really noticed the bots were gone. Just a few small cogs in the great machine. Hidden behind the bright spinning wheels of the Elite Guard.

End chapter 72


	73. The Death of Highbrow

**_One ano-cycle later_ **

Cliffjumper had already left for the night when Longarm stopped by Highbrow’s office. Highbrow often worked late. In fact he worked early too. He was the first bot in the office and the last bot to leave. He rarely slept and he never relaxed. He had a planet to run, Decepticons to look out for. _They weren’t resting so why should I_ was his way of thinking.

It was only recently however, that another bot had invaded this cycle. Longarm, a new student in the academy, a transfer from civilian life as a construction worker, had almost become a part of Highbrow’s regimen. The young bot had soared through his introductory classes in every topic. On top of that, he’d taken so many extra classes he had completed all of his general requirements in his first ano-cycle. His second was dedicated completely to Intel. Highbrow was his teacher for many of these classes, and Longarm had quickly become his top student. He had never met a bot so hard-working, so thorough and focused in his work for Cybertron. Cliffjumper came close but the bot had his son, and that took so much of his attention away from his work. But Longarm! Longarm was so much like Highbrow himself. He could see the bot becoming a great head of Intel someday. It was only after he’d met the bot that he started thinking about retiring. It was such a pleasant thought knowing your peds could be filled.

Longarm studied hard under him, even went above and beyond in his work and help. He was one of the few bots Highbrow trusted. Which was why he welcomed the bot when he pinged him, unlocking the door without even glancing at the security camera. As such, he never even noticed the cameras were off. “Good evening Longarm! Working late?” he asked when the bot walked through the door.

“Well Sir” Longarm said softly, shifting his gaze around the room and over his shoulder, as though he was looking for something, immediately putting Highbrow on guard. “I have some very sensitive Intel for you, but I really don’t feel safe telling you on base.”

At first, Highbrow was going to protest that his office was the most secure place on Cybertron, but perhaps that was what Longarm wanted to speak to him about? Perhaps he had found a traitor, or a spy, or a leak. Glancing around quickly, Highbrow nodded and logged out from his terminal, locking it and heading for the door. “Join me for a walk Longarm?”

“It’d be my pleasure, Sir.” 

\--

The Manganese Mountains sat just on the outskirts of Iacon. The thick, mineral rich walls of stone prevented any form of technological communication and the path up made it impossible for anyone to follow without notice.

“Now that we’re away from prying optics and sneaky audios, Longarm Minor, what did you have to report?” Highbrow asked, scanning the mountain tops. There weren’t any security systems here, besides the old fashioned locked gates around abandoned construction sites, since they were impossible to maintain, or even use.

Longarm smiled at the back of his superior, hands flexing reflectively, “There’s a Decepticon in our ranks! I know he framed Wasp to avoid suspicion and is plotting to kill you.”

“Who is this bot?” Highbrow asked, turning to look at the bot, shock creeping into his voice. He was more than used to death threats, but if Wasp had been framed—they’d all made a huge mistake! He had to be released from the stockades immediately!

Highbrow frowned as Longarm pointed a finger at his chassis, tapping the red Autobot face. The bots usually charming half-smile twisted darkly as he said, “…me”

Before Highbrow’s optics, Longarm began to transform. He grew taller.  His servos became claws, his face vanished, his paint changed and the Autobot symbol bled away into a Decepticon brand. Highbrow felt his spark stop cold as he recognized Shockwave—Megatron’s most trusted follower!—standing before him. His processor stalled, unable to comprehend what was going on. The bot…the bot had been right under his nose the entire time! He’d trusted him! He’d considered him as his successor!

He regained his senses enough to jump out of the way as Shockwave lunged towards him, claws ready to tear his chassis apart. He had to get back to base! He had to sound the alarm! His comm links were useless out here! Dodging another attack he pulled a small blaster out of his subspace and aimed for the purple Decepticon symbol of Shockwave’s chassis, firing rapidly. He missed by a mile. Maybe he should have spent more time at the range and less time at the office.

Firing and missing again, Highbrow transformed and speed for the road back down the mountain. But he was too slow. Shockwave transformed into his tank mode and fired, hitting Highbrow dead center. The Autobot swerved with the hit and was forced to transform back to bot mood or slam into the wall. He skid to a stop an inch before the wall, aiming his blasters at Shockwave. But the Con had taken the opportunity rush towards the bot, and with a mighty swap of his claws, Highbrow’s blaster was flung away and he was trapped between a wall and a Decepticon. Shockwave held the bot against the wall, lifting him so his peds couldn’t touch the floor.

“What are you doing!?” Highbrow gasped as he gripped the claw around his neck. “Even if you offline me, someone will take my place! Someone better, someone that won’t be tricked like I was!”

Shockwave’s voice was cold and calculated as he leaned, his single red optic glowing with glee. “Of course, that’s _exactly_ what _I’m_ aiming for.” He said, and with that, he stabbed his other claw through Highbrow’s chassis, snuffing out his spark and letting the corpse fall to the ground.

Shockwave stood tall over the empty grey husk of his former teacher. He wasn’t worried about exposing himself here. They were too far from the city to be heard and the minerals in the mountains interfered with all types of surveillance. The blaster hits and tread tracks would fade with the next acid rain, which was conveniently forecasted for tomorrow morning.

Looking around, Shockwave spotted an abandoned mining zone, several vorns old. During the first energy crisis, bots had tried to drill into the mountains for energon and materials, but their tools would break on the hard rock and cave-ins were a constant occurrence with the instability of the place. On top of that the few energon crystals they were able to mine had absorbed so many minerals and chemicals they were toxic. All mining was abandoned, but a few tunnels had managed to pierce deeply enough into the mountains to give him some options.

The Decepticon picked up the discarded blaster and Highbrow’s body, careful to keep too much energon from falling onto the ground.  He headed down one shaft, and kept going for almost a microcycle. Deep inside the mountains, he dug a shallow grave with his huge claws and threw the body in, stomping harshly on it to flatten the ground. No one would find him here.

Wiping the energon off his claws, Shockwave transformed back into Longarm and headed back to base. All that he had to do now was wait.

End chapter 73 


	74. Promotions

It had been three mega-cycles.

Highbrow Prime had been gone for three complete mega-cycles and despite the entire planet’s security and Intel networks being at their disposal, they had not found him. Though the search would continue, they could not leave his post open for any longer. The council members and Ultra Magnus had joined in the High Council room of the Metroplex to choose a new head of Intel.

Cliffjumper fidgeted nervously in his seat. He had come to this room often, taking notes for Highbrow Prime during meetings, but now the large seat next to him was empty and the council members would glace over every few minutes. On top of that, three mega-cycles of filling in for Highbrow had him more than a little high strung. It wasn’t an easy job being Head of Intel. There was just so much information to sort and file, so many secrets and plans to keep and organize, especially for one bot. As Highbrow Prime’s secretary he had summarized data and organized reports to make the process easier, but even he hadn’t seen everything that went through the bot’s desk. Now he was pulling both jobs and it was all a big pile of slag. The final result was that he was running on half recharge cycles and high power energon. What’s more, he hadn’t been able to spend as much time with Axletron as he was used to! Now that bit was making him mad.

Axletron was a still a toddler! He was only 4 ano-cycles old! As Highbrow’s secretary he worked a standard shift and rarely brought work home with him. He had his mornings and evenings all for his son, but since Highbrow’s disappearance, he had been spending next to no time with his sparkling. They hadn’t gone to the park together for two mega-cycles now, one of Axletron’s favorite things to do. The first time last mega-cycle, Cliffjumper had completely forgotten about their “adventure” as he worked on the latest space bridge reports. Axletron had come into his office at home with a little sailing hat, smiling in excitement.

“Mommy!” he had shouted in joy, making Cliffjumper jump in surprise, almost making a huge stack of data pads fall to the ground. He only just managed to catch them as Axletron added, “Let’s go to the park mommy! Pirates!” Axletron was obviously going to act out their latest story at the park. Cliffjumper would read Axel a chapter in a book before bed every day, it was one of on only things Cliffjumper looked forward to reading. The book of the mega-cycle was Treasure Planet, with pirates and aliens and “adventure!” as Axletron liked to say. But Cliffjumper couldn’t afford to leave his work for a micro-cycle or two in the park that day. The information HAD to be inputted into the system for the spacebridges to work and the troops and supplies to get through and that meant as soon as robotically possible. Looking between the pads and Axletron’s bright face, his spark broke a little as he crouched down to place his servos on Axletron’s small shoulders.

“Axle, sweetie…” Cliffjumper began, “I’m so sorry, but mommy has a lot of work to do and can’t go to the park this mega-cycle. A lot of bots are depending on mommy to get this info ready and since Mr. Highbrow isn’t here, I have to do it…”

Axletron listened very closely to what his mommy told him, though he certainly didn’t like it! Their trips to the park were one of the few chances they got to be together without work or other bots. It was Axel and mommy time. Now work was taking his spot. He began to tear up, making Cliffjumper feel like a real fragger, even as he picked him up and hugged him, rubbing his back softly as the sparkling wrapped his servos around his neck. “I’m sorry Axletron, really I am. But I promise I’ll make it up to you! We’ll read two chapters of your book tonight ok? And you can even have an extra sweet in the morning after breakfast. It won’t be like this for long, I promise. We’ll find Mr. Highbrow or someone to do his job and things will go back to normal, ok? Can you be strong for me until then?” he asked softly, “can you?”

Axletron nodded softly into Cliffjumper’s neck, smothering a soft hiccup. He wasn’t happy, but he was a smart bot, and he knew mommy had important work to do. After that Cliffjumper had returned to work and Axletron had brought his color pad over to draw by Cliffjumper’s peds. He didn’t show off his work like he usually did when he drew, but Cliffjumper could see they were pirate ships and rust oceans. Cliffjumper felt like a real jerk making his sparkling so sad.

And that feeling had yet to fade. Finally though, they were going to find a replacement and he would be able to go back to his normal life. He looked up from his blank data pad as Ultra Magnus rose to the podium to begin the meeting. Marking the time at the top, Cliffjumper listened with rapt attention, more than ready to be rid of this job.

“The purpose of today’s meeting is to assign a successor for Highbrow Prime as head of Cybertronian Intelligence” Ultra Magnus stated, mostly for Cliffjumper’s record, “as we have been unable to locate him anywhere on the planet.” he added with disappointment. Though he and Highbrow were not particularly close, mostly because Highbrow was a very serious, no-nonsense bot in his work and life, he was not happy to lose one of their best soldiers…even if he made more enemies than friends. His personality did not exactly encourage friendship with the constant distrust and that fact that his paranoia sometimes led to results, but just as often led to a trespassing of civil rights, something the council did not appreciate. “Before I open the floor, I would like to make my own nomination.” Ultra Magnus looked towards Cliffjumper as he continued taking notes.

Ultra Magnus had never been close to Cliffjumper before the war, but after the birth of Axletron and his new job, he had seen more and more of the minibot on a professional and personal level. The bot was loyal and hardworking. He could occasionally see that old fiery temper in his optics but the bot had certainly matured into a great Intel agent. Perhaps it was all those ano-cycles working security, or the bot’s own personality, but he was good at his job. He spoke and acted like a normal bot and this showed in his reports being easy to read and comprehend but he was not open or free with information. It was a good balance of personality and professionalism that Ultra Magnus felt would serve well in a higher position. “I nominate Cliffjumper” Ultra Magnus said, “to be Highbrow Prime’s replacement.”

Cliffjumper looked up and stared at Ultra Magnus in growing horror as he tried to process what the tall bot had just said. “…what?” he managed to choke out.

“I second the motion” Perceptor added from his spot by Ultra Magnus. “Cliffjumper has performed well in his current position and filled in exceptionally for Highbrow Prime during his absence. He is well suited for the position” he explained in his monotone voice. Now Cliffjumper looked at him in horror.

“But-” Cliffjumper could only stutter.

“I respectfully object” Alpha Trion spoke out. “We are all aware that Cliffjumper has a young sparkling. A position this high would interfere with the young bot’s upbringing.” Cliffjumper silently thanked Primus for Alpha Trion.

“Cliffjumper has experience in the position” Preceptor added.

“But not the proper training or education” Alpha Trion added. “There is a young bot in the Academy, he was Highbrow’s best student. I feel he will make an adequate replacement.”

“Longarm Minor?” Cliffjumper ventured to guess.

“Yes” Alpha Trion said with a nod. “Are you familiar with him?”

“I know his old drill sergeant. He spoke highly of him, as did Highbrow Prime.” Well, as highly as either bot could speak about others. Sentinel said the bot was smart, taking nearly as many classes as Cliffjumper first had, while Highbrow had called the bot an amazing example of intelligence. Either way, if he wanted the job, he could have it!

“If you could kindly pull up his profile Cliffjumper” Botanica inquired from her spot at the other side of Ultra Magnus. Nodding, Cliffjumper accessed the Autobot Intel Database, pulling up Longarm’s entire Autobot history. He was previously a civilian, but had enrolled on the fast course to Intel several ano-cycles back. Sentinel had been his drill sergeant and with the help of one of his crew members, he had discovered the traitor Wasp, who had since been sent to the stockades. Upon graduation, he received the title of Minor and had since been working as a student instructor and unofficial assistant for Highbrow Prime.

“It is an impressive track record.” Botanica murmured.

“He more than meets the requirements for the position” Alpha Trion added.

Perceptor simply nodded in agreement. “He is acceptable.”

“Very well” Ultra Magnus stated, “The council has decided. Longarm shall take over the position of head of Cybertronian Intel. We leave it to you, Cliffjumper, to orientate him properly and inform him of his new title.”

Cliffjumper saluted with a firm nod. “Yes sir! I’ll inform Longarm Prime of the promotion immediately!” he said, upgrading Longarm’s status while he had the record open.

“His debriefing will take three cycles time. Meeting adjourned.” 

With that, the meeting was over and Cliffjumper out the door faster than a turbo fox with the hunting dogbots on its tail.

End chapter 74 


	75. Introductions, Orientations, and Reports

Cliffjumper found Longarm in class, teaching the new single-anos about basic Intel procedure. Despite his excitement over the news he had to tell the crane, he simply snuck a seat at the back of the class and waited for it to end. Longarm was a decent teacher, well-informed and courteous, more than good traits in a Head of Intel. When the clock finally chimed and the students milled out of the classroom, Cliffjumper waited until only he and Longarm remained before heading down to speak to the bot. What he didn’t know was that Longarm was shifting between panic and glee on the inside.

Longarm more than remembered Cliffjumper. First from their meeting in the archives and then from the Wasp incident. The mini had been the one to arrest Wasp and take him away to the stockades after he and Bee had found incriminating evidence against him. All of the students saw the agent directly under Highbrow as the Prime’s optics and audios. In all of the ano-cycles Longarm worked under Highbrow, no matter how many times he passed the bot in his office, he’d never gotten a true reading of him. He was courteous, jumpy, and listened more often than he spoke. Highbrow had told him the bot was a hard worker but had different priorities.

 And now that bot had come to see him and Longarm could think of plenty of reasons why. One was that it was a simple courtesy visit, perhaps to speak about Highbrow Prime’s disappearance, but Cliffjumper wouldn’t come to his class just for that. Another could be because his cover had been blown and the mini had come to arrest Longarm like he had Wasp, but he seriously doubted that. No, Shockwave was betting on a promotion.

Longarm paused in collecting his notes to salute Cliffjumper. “Good afternoon, Sir.”

The minibot saluted him back with a barely suppressed smile. “Longarm Prime” He greeted, holding out the datapad with the promotion with his other servo. Longarm turned to him with confusion in his blue optics as he took the pad. The red orb on his forehead glowed brightly, shifting in the light.  “You’ve been promoted to Head of Cybertronian Intel. As your secretary and second, it is my duty to orientate you on your new responsibilities and current procedures. Sir.” Cliffjumper finished with a smile. He was so glad to be rid of this job.

Longarm quickly read to the pad, his mouth gapping, as though he couldn’t believe he was being granted this honor. The bot had to be the youngest head of Intel yet. Since he seemed to be at a loss for words, Cliffjumper held out his servo, “Congrats, Longarm” he said with a smile.

Smiling back, Longarm replied, “Thank you, Cliffjumper” shaking the small hand firmly.

\--

The orientation period lasted three cycles; mostly because there were just that many procedures to go over, but also because they had to change all of the access codes and passwords to make way for a new Head. Longarm took it all in stride, absorbing everything quickly and filling Highbrow’s missing peds like it was the most natural thing on Cybertron, like he’d been working Intel all his function.

On the third and final cycle, Longarm became privy to perhaps the greatest kept secret on base. Longarm was nodding absently as Cliffjumper explained the last of his responsibilities, including the weekly meetings and space bridge updates. Eventually the mini fell silent and Longarm looked up to see the mini nibbling nervously on is lower lip. “…ok…that’s just about it, just one more _big_ secret…”

Longarm blinked curiously, wondering what the secret could be to make Cliffjumper so personally anxious. Cliffjumper opened his mouth to continue, but before a single sound could come out, another high pitched voice filled the room. “Mommy!”

Longarm looked behind Cliffjumper and couldn’t keep his jaw from dropping. It was like a red, miniature youngling version of his lord Megatron was running towards him! he could only stare in confusion and shock as Cliffjumper spun around and replied “Axletron!” as he crouched to pick the youngling up and place him on his hip, like it was totally normal to be tackled by an actual, living sparkling! “What are you doing here?”

E.R. appeared right behind Axletron, the sparkling’s blanket in her arms. “First Aid had to leave early so Axletron suggested we came pick you up.” She explained with a smile, saluting politely with her free servo.

“It was a surprise!” Axletron explained with a giggle. “Did we surprise you?”

Cliffjumper nodded happily, surprising Longarm with the soft smile that filled his faceplate and the glow in his optics. “Yes, this is a very, very nice surprise!” the mini turned to E.R. “Thank you for bringing him.”

“No problem at all Cliff” E.R. trilled, rolling happily on her wheels. “I’ll see you next week, ok Axle?” she said, handing the blanket over to Cliffjumper,  “You be good now!” she added with a smile and rolled away towards the elevator with a wave, leaving the sparkling and his mother with Longarm Prime.

It was only when Axle glanced at the new bot that Cliffjumper remembered he was there. “Oh! Sorry Longarm Prime!” Cliffjumper apologized with a small smile. Placing Axletron back on the ground, he turned him to face the new Prime. “This is the last thing you need to know about being the Head of Intel. This—” he said patting the toddler’s shoulders, “—is Axletron. My son.”

“…Your son?” Longarm asked dumbly, not quite sure he understood. First was the fact that this was a sparkling. Shockwave didn’t known any bot that was a sparkling that wasn’t as old as dirt, with the exception of his Lord Megatron. But this child was eons younger! No more than a few ano-cycles! How could he have been sparked without the All Spark!? It hadn’t been found, had it? No, there would have been much more fanfare. Then there was the sparkling’s appearance to consider. Despite the obvious minibot additions, the faceplate was an exact duplicate of Lord Megatron’s, with the exception of the blue Autobot optics. He began to ask the obvious question, “Who was his—.” But before he could finish Cliffjumper sent him a databurst text, saying not to ask in front of Axletron. Confused, Longarm simply nodded, collected himself, and crouched to Axletron’s level. “Hello Axletron. I’m Longarm Prime.”

Axletron looked up at Cliffjumper for an approving nod before smiling back at Longarm. “Nice to meet you, Sir!” he said, holding out a tiny servo to shake, like he always saw his mommy do.

Longarm smiled as he shook the miniscule servo softly, “And it is very nice to meet you too.” The orb on his forehead glowed brightly.

\--

Shockwave took several mega-cycles installing a secret tachyon transmitter in his, or rather Longarm’s, new office, one piece at a time, constructed whenever he had a free klik. When it was complete however, he had a moderately secure connection to Lord Megatron. He couldn’t help but laugh at the irony that the Autobot’s own communications protections were actually helping him make calls to the War Lord, reporting every move the Autobot’s made. And he had so much to report.

Particularly about Axletron. On the day following the discovery of the sparkling, Cliffjumper explained the situation more thoroughly. The only reason Longarm was told was because he was on the council, and everybot on the council was aware of the situation. Axletron was a spark-merge sparkling, not an All Spark sparkling like Shockwave had guessed. While Cliffjumper refused to go into the details of the conception, including refusing to mention the father, he did admit that it was a Decepticon, and with the sparkling’s appearance, it was quite easy to make a guess. It would be foolish to look into the matter so soon after learning about it, particularly since special attention had been given to Cliffjumper’s file, so that if anyone accessed it, it would leave a record of it. He’d have to find a trick for that later, but it wouldn’t bode well to hack into something when so few people knew about it, too few suspects to pin it on. He worry about that later.

For now, he had to report. It was late. Cliffjumper had long since returned home with Axletron. With the shutters closed and the door locked Shockwave hailed _The Nemesis_. It did not take long for his lord and master to appear on the screen.

“Shockwave, my most-loyal servant.” Megatron greeted, sitting regally on his throat, completely ignoring the bickering happening behind him as Lugnut and Starcream got into another petty argument. “How are you fairing among the Autobots?”

“It is my honor to serve Lord Megatron.” Shockwave replied with a bow. “I have been promoted to Head of Cybertronian Intelligence.”

“Excellent Shockwave!” Megatron praised, smirking. “Now, report.”

Shockwave nodded. “Ultra Magnus has no plans for any form of attack upon the Decepticons thus far, but the Autobots have been experimenting with code genetics, though they have yet to yield any results. All of our agents have retained their positions. The most pressing issue at the moment has to do with the Space Bridge Nexus. While I now have primary control of it, many of the outer space bridges are damaged or in disrepair and non-functioning. A team has recently been created to repair them and they are currently working their way through those in the outer systems. I shall alert you immediately when the bridges are repaired.”

Megatron nodded gracefully, satisfied with the report, for the moment. “You have done well Shockwave.”

Shockwave bowed and answered, “Thank you my Lord.” But unlike their other countless conversations, Shockwave did not make to end the call with a promise to report again soon or with a final pledge of loyalty, but simply sat there, awkwardly avoiding Megatron’s gaze.

“Anything else, Shockwave?” Megatron asked resting his head on his fist while raising a single brow as the double-agent’s odd behavior. Shockwave was not one to fiddle with his claws, so to speak.

“Uh…forgive me if this seems…impertinent Lord Megatron but…” Shockwave took a bracing breath, “Do you have a son?”

Megatron’s helm slipped off his fist. The fighting behind him stopped. Silence reigned for several moments, before Megatron gathered himself. “No. What in the name of Cybertron would prompt that question?” he demanded, unhappy about being confused. How could he possibly have a son—how could anyone have a son!—with the All Spark missing?

Speaking quickly, desperate to avoid offending his master further, Shockwave continued, “There is a sparking on Cybertron my lord.”

“A sparkling?” Megatron asked with disbelief, though he did not doubt his follower. “But how? The All Spark has been lost for eons.” He growled. His endless search for the All Spark had made it a somewhat bitter topic. Had the Autobots found it before he had? Were they using it already!?

“I do not know my lord. The information on his existence is limited to a handful of bots and I cannot access the files without leaving a record of it, but it is a sparkling. There is no doubt of that.”

“Tell me about this sparkling Shockwave.”

“His name is Axletron. At the moment he is but four ano-cycles old. His mother, as they claim, is my secretary and deputy, Cliffjumper, to whom he bears a striking resemblance as well.”

“How so?”

“He has the same paint job, optics, audio horns, and limb and chassis shape. His face and helmet however, appear exactly like yours my lord, as though someone has taken a younger version of your face and replaced your red optics with blue ones. The resemblance is uncanny and if he is not your son, then I must put forth the possibility of him being a sibling...”

Megatron stayed silent for several kliks. Was it possible? That he would have a sibling? Certainly not one so young! After all his father was…“learn all you can about them and watch him closely Shockwave. I want regular reports on this young Axletron and his…mother.”

Shockwave bowed his head, “As you command, Lord Megatron.”

“We will continue our search for the All Spark around the farther abandoned Space Bridges. Even if the All Spark was flung through one at full speed, it could not have traveled a great distance from it. Report again, should something important arise.”

“Yes, Lord Megatron.” And with that, Shockwave transformed back into Longarm and ended the call, ready to return to work.  

On the Nemesis however, it was never so easy to move from one topic to another. 

“Why do we waste our time searching for the All Spark?” Starscream asked, the screech in his voice becoming whiny. “With Shockwave in control of the Space Bridge Nexus, we should gather our resources and prepare for a massive attack!”

“I do not expect you to understand the importance of the All Spark, Starscream, nor is it necessary.” Megatron replied coldly, staring out into the dark space, leaving Starscream to throw another hissy fit. Megatron swore, that if the Seeker wasn’t such an amazing scientist and fighter, with the support of the Vosnians, he would have killed him eons ago. Starscream didn’t understand. So few did. Simply because they had no idea what the All Spark meant. They have never experienced its light, being born from molds and the dribbles of power. They were born to live half-lives, but a spark was always connected to the All Spark, even if the bot did not realize it. The All Spark was life, and that was something every bot could fight for.

The All Spark held the promise of a future, no matter the planet or the world. It inspired loyalty and hope, because bots believed in its power. Megatron would use that power. He would use it to return his bots to Cybertron, to reclaim their rightful home and grow. The Autobots would never understand. The Decepticons wanted control, because it was the only way they would have a fair life. No other bot, no Autobot, would every grant them equality, so instead, they would take it by force.  They would live, even if others had to die for them to do so, because they deserved it as much as anyone else. Life was not a privilege for the lucky few, it was a gift to all from Primus …his father had taught him that.

End chapter 75


	76. Fact or Fiction

 

In an effort to follow Megatron’s orders, Longarm worked to become “friends” with Cliffjumper. He even began to join Cliffjumper on his lunch break—on the thankfully rare occasions that the mini refueled alone. The red bot usually took it a few floors down with Axletron, but Cliffjumper didn’t have a set lunch micro-cycle, so he sometimes took it late or early.

That day, Axletron was visiting with Hound, so they took lunch in the mess hall. The double agent hated it. It was too loud and crowded with idiots and morons. He still grimaced when he thought about his academy days, when he had no choice but to eat there with his “team mates”. They were all so blind, so ignorant. They couldn’t see past their energon and their titles. He was amazed to discover that Cliffjumper felt similarly, though he called them naïve and young.

“They’re rookies Longarm, most of them born and bred for the academy. How can you expect them to be mature when everything they’ve learned has come out of a datapad instead of actual experience? Give them some time to screw up and learn and they’ll be as cynical and bitter as the rest of us.” Cliffjumper said.

Longarm nodded in agreement before changing the subject. “So how is Axletron doing?”

It amazed Longarm how quickly the mini’s mood could change. Just the mention of Axletron gave him a burst of energy that made his optics glow and a smile form. “Great! He’s really gotten into the old Knights of Primus tales. Runs around the house with a homemade shield and sword. ” Cliffjumper said with a laugh.

“He takes a lot after you.”Longarm commented. At Cliffjumper’s dry stare he quickly added, “Warrior type, I mean.”

Cliffjumper chuckled. “I suppose…he got my looks at least.” He added, mock boasting.

“Yes!...” Longarm agreed, nodding obligingly, before softly adding, “most of them…” Cliffjumper gripped his cube and shifted his gaze. Longarm could see the conversation shut down and cursed himself. He’d moved too soon. “I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to upset you, it’s just that Axletron looks a lot like-“

“I know!” Cliffjumper snapped, glancing around them. It didn’t seem like anybot was listening in, but he made sure before adding, “He’s got nothing to do with him. He’s…I don’t really like to talk about it.” Cliffjumper drank heavily from his cube, suddenly wishing it was high grade and subconsciously shrinking into himself. He fiddled with the cube for a few nano-kliks before mumbling, “…Just read the file… it’ll be easier…”

Shockwave was practically dancing inside his head. Outside however, Longarm just gave a reluctant expression. “Do you mind though, I didn’t think it was…judicious to dig through your files just to settle some curiosity…” he offered, trying very hard to seem insecure. Playing up the I’m-new-at-this-but-want-to-be-a-good-boss card.

Cliffjumper spared him a half smile, “I appreciate that, but really, it’s not all that interesting.” With a sigh he drained his cube and stood up. “Might as well get it out of your system.”

Longarm followed his lead with a nod, finishing off his cube and heading back to the Intel office with the mini. Their conversation stayed safely on the topics of work and Axletron and energon.  

-

Later, Shockwave had to object to Cliffjumper’s claim that his history was ‘not all that interesting.’ It had taken a lot of time for Longarm to access Cliffjumper’s deeper files, many security hoops to jump through, but it had been worth it.

The preliminary file he had first accessed showed that the minibot had grown up in a working town. He was the youngest of three siblings. Shockwave was pleasantly surprised at the family history, for his own reasons. The mini’s parents had been stable, though not well-to-do. It was a rather average upbringing. Cliffjumper had been a miner and general laborer until he joined the Autobots. No criminal record though he’d gotten into more than his fair share of fights. In the military, he’d worked security and Intel, with some sniping duties and the occasional second or third strike force. He’d remained mostly under the radar during the war, one of many faceless soldiers. But that was just his basic history. Now he could look at his classified medical records!

Cliffjumper had suffered many injuries in his life, even more in the military.  The most extreme however, followed a blast near the Intel office in the early morning of an otherwise regular cycle. It had blown Cliffjumper into a wall, but he had recovered a few micro-cycles later. In fact, the same afternoon, he’d left base. Not long after, Galvatron attacked him. It all came into play on that one day, and Shockwave couldn’t help but think that the series of events that played out that day could reveal everything. It was like a puzzle, but he was missing pieces.

For instance, he didn’t understand why Cliffjumper would leave base almost as soon as he got out of medical. He’d gotten a leg replaced for Primus’ sake! Anything could have waited a day, but he left as soon as he could.

The file also held a copy of the security footage of the rape. After watching, Shockwave could not help but feel some pity for the bot. The attack had been brutal. There wasn’t the slightest doubt in his mind that it was real, even considering Lord Galvatron’s detestation of rape; a trait that also affected Megatron. Neither lord tolerated rape in their armies, though it now appeared the Galvatron had not always thought that way.

Then there was the post-rape medical report. Cliffjumper had to have most of his chassis replaced. The report stated that several of his systems shut down multiple times during the emergency surgery. The interesting fact about this event however was that his spark never blinked out, not for a single instance. The medics described it as Cliffjumper’s body sacrificing other systems to keep his spark stable. They were completely baffled by the event until they took a closer look and realized Cliffjumper was sparked up.

After that, Cliffjumper didn’t leave the medical ward again. None of his friends visited him. In fact, no one but the superior officers even had access to his location. Well, them and Smokescreen. Therapy was a must after such an ordeal. Smokescreen had provided a complete psychiatric evaluation, with details about Cliffjumper’s personality, friends, and daily schedule. He had observed that in the mega-cycles before the incident, Cliffjumper had become more open and friendly. He didn’t snap as often, he was more tolerant of other bots and he was, to speak generally, more happy. Smokescreen had held small interviews with Cliffjumper’s friends, to find the best way to approach him during sessions, of course, many of them thought he was dead at the time.

The lambo twins, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, had called him a short fuse, but raved about his loyalty to the cause and stated that in the day he’d been attacked, they’d shown him the newly updated profile on Galvatron, one with a picture. Shockwave was very interested in this, because passing testimonies from PowerGlide and Kup provided a very possible explanation for everything. They believed that Cliffjumper had fallen for a neutral, or at least become close friends with one. It explained Cliffjumper’s increased leaves from base, his change in personality, and the conception of the sparkling.

Cliffjumper could have been meeting with Galvatron before the attack and that gave way to several possibilities.

1)      Galvatron could have been using him to gain information, or trying to convert him to the Decepticons, using his feelings to get his foot in the door. The rape could have been a last ditch effort to gain this information after Cliffjumper had discovered him.

2)      Cliffjumper could have been a full-fledged double-agent, though Shockwave seriously doubted that. The mini was very loyal now. Any honorable agent would have tried to return to their original side…though a smart one would pick the winning team. Cliffjumper could have defected when he went to meet Galvatron, prompting Galvatron’s attack. Even if he woke up again now, there was no knowing how the Decepticon agenda had changed, so he would have to hold his cards. It was a possibility.

3)      Cliffjumper could have been meeting and falling for an actual neutral. They could have crossed Galvatron and for whatever reason and prompted Galvatron’s attack on Cliffjumper, where he became sparked up. Shockwave had joined the Decepticons under Megatron, so his didn’t know Lord Galvatron very well personally, but he doubted the bot was so randomly violent or easily offended.

Whatever the case, whether feelings were present or not, Cliffjumper and Galvatron could have interfaced and conceived for any number of reasons. No one knew exactly how sparklings were conceived, even with spark merging anymore, so there was no way to explain or protect against it. Obviously the pregnancy had been accidental. Cliffjumper was probably never even aware that he was pregnant. The only opportunity Shockwave could identify that the mini would learn of his condition was the bomb in the Intel office. The medic in charge of him would have identified it, but even if they did, they didn’t put it in the report, so Shockwave couldn’t be sure.

Still, Shockwave was absolutely sure that Galvatron was Axletron’s father, the likeness was too great. But it was difficult to confirm anything with only half the story, if he even had that. He had no clue about Lord Galvatron’s behavior at the time.…Unfortunately, there was only one bot Shockwave knew that had been with Megatron’s father before his disappearance…and he was a nimrod.

Lugnut had served the Decepticons under Galvatron and stayed after Megatron rose to power. If anyone knew how Galvatron had acted at the time, it was that idiot copter. Longarm resisted the urge to bang his helm against his desk. He checked the time. Cliffjumper should have gone home by now. Locking his door, Longarm activated his secret communicator. He transformed into his true mode and bowed when Megatron filled his screen.

Megatron nodded his greeting. “What have you learned Shockwave?”

“Lord Megatron, I’ve recently gained access to Cliffjumper’s report. Axletron is truly his sparkling. Eons ago, during the original Great War, Cliffjumper existed as a minor soldier. The record shows that he was raped by a Decepticon and conceived Axletron through the forced spark merging. He was put into stasis almost immediately afterwards and awoke in the modern times where he successfully delivered the sparkling and has been raising him ever since. No one but the council, a few of Cliffjumper’s friends and us, even knows of the sparkling’s existence.”

“You said a Decepticon raped him. Which one, and how do you know this?” Megatron demanded.

Shockwave swallowed dryly. He was about to poke a sleeping turbo lion. “…The Decepticon was identified as Galvatron my lord, your father…”

“Lies!” Megatron snarled, slamming his fist on the arm of his throne and leaning forward sharply! “My father was not a rapist! He absolutely abhorred the act!”

“I am only telling you the contents of the report My Lord!” Shockwave explained, shrinking back.

“Who wrote the report?”

“Alpha Trion, Kup and the medical officer at the time.”

Megatron sneered disdainfully. Old council bots. None were trustworthy. It was the council’s original corruptness that began the first war. “Give me the full report. I want the chain of events that led to this so called rape.”

Shockwave nodded. “Cliffjumper left base after being discharged from medical. No one knows where he went or why he left base, though I have learned from secondary sources that he had begun to leave base more and more often in the deca-cycles leading up to the…incident. The report states that he was attacked on the edges of Autobot territory, just beyond the range of the cameras. He was accidently flung onto Autobot soil where the cameras…recorded the entire event. Cliffjumper was picked up by a medical and rescue team, where it was learned that he had been sparked.”

“Play me the footage.”

“I’m not sure that is wi-”

“Play the footage!” Megatron yelled. Shockwave withered, but consented.

Megatron sat back and glowered, fingers steepled as the old recording flickered to life. Megatron restrained from growling as he stared at a wall for several nano-kliks. Suddenly a red minibot flew over it, rolling across the ground and slamming into another wall harshly. Megatron blinked at the suddenness of the move. That had to be Cliffjumper. As the minibot struggled to regain his footing, the wall flew apart, sending rubble and dust in every direction. And when the smoke cleared…there was his father, holding Cliffjumper by the neck. His father in his prime… bright, powerful…and terror striking. They argued, Galvatron yelling for information, Cliffjumper telling him he was insane and then…Megatron couldn’t stop his optics from widening in shock. Galvatron tore Cliffjumper’s chassis apart and forced a spark merge with him. Megatron felt the urge to purge his tanks as he listened to Cliffjumper’s ignored screams of pain.

There had to be a mistake…How? How was this possible? His father had always condemned rape! Opposed it with an iron fist! He never tolerated it with anybot! Megatron remembered one particular incident, when Galvatron had beaten a Decepticon within an inch of deactivation after learning that he had raped a team mate. The soldier had been stripped of his ranks, dismissed from the army and then banished from the Decepticon empire. He considered rape the unforgivable crime, because it violated one’s spark, their very soul, and that was the precious gift they all held. It was invaluable. So this made no sense!...There had to be more to it! Something the tapes didn’t show! Something the prejudice Autobots missed! “…you said secondary sources revealed the minibot leaving base more often before the event?” Megatron asked softly when the recording flickered away. Shockwave nodded. “What secondary sources?”

“A psychological evaluation, my Lord. Cliffjumper was required to attend therapy after the incident. Smokescreen provided a very thorough history. I’ve used them to compile a possible theory on the reasons behind the incident.”

“What is it?”

“First I must verify something with…”Shockwave couldn’t keep from rolling his optic in disgust, “Lugnut.”

Megatron lifted a brow in surprise but activated his comm link. :Lugnut. Report to the bridge immediately: He disconnected the call without waiting for a reply.

Lugnut arrived a few moments later, panting, “What can I do to serve you, Lord Megatron?” He narrowed his optics at the double-agent on the screen.

Signing heavily, Shockwave quickly filled Lugnut in on the situation before he began his line of questioning. “Cliffjumper was venturing off base constantly in the mega-cycles leading up to the incident. I believe he was meeting with Galvatron, willingly. Did our Lord leave base often or give any clue that he was meeting with someone?”

Lugnut actually hesitated before answering, rotating his optics and clenching and unclenching his claspers nervously. Shockwave was treading on delicate grounds, and he wasn’t even aware of it. Lugnut remembered that time very well, but not in a good way. He spared a glance at Megatron before answering softly. “Lord Galvatron would vanish for micro-cycles at a time. At first it was every other mega-cycle, but eventually he would head out for fresh air at the end of every cycle, unless something else took precedent. No one knew where he went. We all assumed he was preparing something or taking some time off to relax. The war was reaching its climax in those days after all…” Lugnut mumbled, feeling the need to defend his first master’s actions.

Shockwave blinked once. Lugnut was acting strangely, speaking so calmly and…directly. Sadly it didn’t last long. “What of his behavior? How did he act?”

“Lord Galvatron acted as he always had! As a strong and mighty Decepticon!” Lugnut preached, punching his fist.

Shockwave let out a suffering sigh before yelling at the bot. “I meant his feelings you idiot. Was he happy? Angry? Exasperated? Stressed?”

“Oh…” Lugnut murmured, cycling his optics. “Lord Galvatron was always proud and dedicated. He worked hard…though he sometimes fell deep into thought. I do remember, that for a few mega-cycles, while we planned a huge energon raid, he grew increasingly depressed. He hardly ventured out at all during that time…”

“Is there a purpose to this line of questioning, Shockwave?” Megatron suddenly interrupted, growing impatient with the interrogation.

“My apologies Lord Megatron. I was merely trying to establish a pattern of behavior leading up to the event. I…I think Lord Galvatron and Cliffjumper had been meeting with increasing regularity in the mega-cycles leading up to the incident. I’m not completely sure as to why, though I have a few suspicions.”

“Namely?”

“Cliffjumper worked Intel and security, but was low enough and small enough to remain mostly unnoticed during his time in the Autobot army. I believe Lord Galvatron was attempting to either gain information from him or turn him into a double agent for the Decepticons, perhaps through the use of a romantic relationship…”

“Impossible. An Autobot and a Decepticon? Techo-pigs would sooner fly.” Megatron scoffed.

“Which is why I believe Lord Galvatron was manipulating Cliffjumper through the illusion of feelings, if that was really the case…it would provide an explanation for the final attack. Cliffjumper is a very strong willed bot, he would not have taken being duped very well…”

Megatron brooded on the issue for several kliks. His troops waited patiently before he replied. “…There is more to this than meets the eye. Learn what you can from secondary sources for now, but work to gain the truth from Cliffjumper himself.”

“As you command, Lord Megatron.” Shockwave bowed and disconnected the call.

Megatron remained on his throne for several more minutes, staring at the darkened screen. His father’s attack on the minibot kept replaying itself in his head. It went against everything he knew his father was! Signing, Megatron rose from his chair and retreated for his quarters, giving command of the ship to Lugnut. The copter could handle this simple task. They were just scanning for space bridges and high energy readings.

When Megatron reached his room, he sank onto the berth, rubbing his optics…his helm hurt. How could so much trouble follow one minibot and his son? He blamed the council for messing with the timeline by bringing the carrying bot here instead of letting him conceive then! It wasn’t as though much had changed. So what if the Decepticons were currently banished. It was not the first time their cause had hit a roadblock and it would not be the last. It was just the way things were when people didn’t understand what you were fighting for. But it would only make victory that much better. When they could finally touch their homeland again and rule over it as free sentient beings, not under the control of some corrupt council or prejudice social system, but under one king, one of them, powerful and wise enough to keep them free and to maintain that freedom against all that challenged it… the glory of that moment would be unsurpassable…when it came.

He onlined his optics and stared at his ceiling. He needed to see his father. It had been a while since he’d visited him, much too long. Speaking with him would help him clear his head and vanish some of the mystery in this story. He messaged the command center, ordering the change in course. They’d arrive at Karn soon enough.

End chapter 76

 


	77. Hard Discoveries

Karn was an asteroid planet near the center of the Decepticon Empire. It was of fair size, with a few deep, rich energon sources that only a handful of bots were aware of. Late in the war, when the Autobots were pushing the Deceptions farther back into their own empire, they staged the planet’s destruction. Doing so gave the illusion that they were structurally unstable, making the Autobot’s back off to “let them fall on their own.” It’s true purpose however, was to hide the planet. Project doppelganger had recently been completed at the time, and the Perceptor clone created, Magnificus, had come up with a device that could essentially hide a planet. It was one of the clone’s few useful inventions. Megaton put it to good use. He made the planet a haven for his father. As the war went on, and Megatron assumed leadership, Galvatron had lost all sense of purpose and sank into deeper into his depression and insanity. At first, Megatron was weary about leaving his father alone on a planet, but after a few cycles, a small spark had returned to his father’s optics. Galvatron felt better on the planet, in the silence, alone…so Megatron left him to go fight the war. He often regretted the action, constantly wondering if it had been the right thing to do.

Galvatron had been a magnificent father to him, but Megatron knew he struggled raising him in the middle of a war, facing constant outside threat and suffering on the inside from ghosts unknown. Now that Megatron knew about Axletron and Cliffjumper, he looked back as far as he could remember, trying to tie in this new knowledge to his father’s behavior and personality…and it was a surprisingly good fit. Galvatron had always been strong and caring, but he would best be described as melancholy. He bore a constant sadness that Megatron rarely saw him without.

They arrived at the planet quickly enough. He gave Starscream orders to monitor the area for energy signatures and ships. He doubted the seeker would actually do as he was told, but Blackarachnia would pick up the slack if necessary. Lugnut accompanied Megatron onto the planet. The Copter always followed on these trips, as loyal to his first master as he was to the second, but he did not interfere with Megatron’s reunion. Instead, he stood guard at the entrance to his father’s home.

At first look, Galvatron’s home looked like a cave, but that was merely part of the illusion. A few steps into the hollow space and Megatron stepped beyond the hologram that protected the entrance. His father’s home was small, but comfortable and calm. Megatron had been hesitant to make it too large, for fear of making his father too aware of his solidarity on this rock. There were only two bedrooms, each grandly decorated and designed. A small kitchen with dispensers linked to a nearby energon reserve laid next to the living room, with a large vid screen and shelves of book and vid files. It was still rather early. The sun was just rising, so his father should be up soon. Taking a book file off the shelves, he sat on a comfortable chair and read, patiently waiting for his father to wake up, not at all looking forward to their conversation.

\--

To Galvatron, mornings could be a blessing or a curse, depending on what happened when he slept. Sometimes, he hated mornings, when the sun rose and the light pulled him from recharge, because he dreamed of better times from long ago. Other mornings, he thanked Primus for the light of day that pulled him from his nightmares. Nightmares where screams echoed all around him and energon stained his hands.  

Today, he hated the sun. He’d been dreaming his favorite dream. The one where everything had gone right and he had Cliffjumper had a newspark like no other. Grumbling, knowing he wouldn’t fall asleep again, he sat up slowly, staring out in front of him, waiting for the last of the sleep to leave him.

It was a routine he was well used to from his time on Karn. When he had first arrived on the planet, it had been difficult to sleep in the absolute silence, but soon enough it became soothing. Nothing reminding him of the past when it was silent and empty. Without bots around him, he could almost imagine he was dead, wandering the afterlife like the Cliffjumper that haunted him. In his mind, he sometimes thought he deserved that.

Cliffjumper had stayed with him for eons after his death. Followed him though the war and Megatron’s conception and upbringing. Sometimes he would vanish for ano-cycles, and Galvatron would think it was over…but then, something small or trivial would tigger a memory and the guilt would call Cliffjumper back. The minibot had kept him company on this rock for a while at first, but eventually he left too. Galvatron sometimes wondered if him being here alone had been enough of a fate for the minibot. But then again, it also could have been the high grade he constantly drowned himself in repressing the memories.

Glancing at his clock, Galvatron noticed a small blinking light. Someone was in his living room. It must be Megatron. Anyone else would have set off the sensor alarm. He got out of bed, fixing it quickly before going to greet the grey Warlord.

“Son!” Galvatron said with a smile as he entered the room, moving to hug Megatron as he stood up, “It’s so good to see you!”

“Hello Father, how are you?” Megatron asked when he was released from the hug.

“Good, Son.” Galvatron replied with a smile. “Same old, same old! Now how are you? Tell me everything, it’s been a while since I’ve gotten to see you.”

Megatron smiled and followed his father into the kitchen, sitting in one of the two chairs at the small table while Galvatron poured them some standard grade Energon. Galvatron usually drank high grade like it was oil, but Megatron preferred to have his senses about him at all times and rarely partook in a cube.

“I’ve been well. My troops and I remain mostly underground at the moment. We are still searching for the All Spark…but that’s not really the reason I came to see you…” Megatron explained, taking the cube his father handed him.

Galvatron blinked in confusion and leaned against the counter, sipping his energon.  “What is it son? Come now, you know you can tell me anything…”

Megatron’s fingers flexed softly around his cube. Sighing, he took a bracing break and dove right in. “Father…do you know of a bot named Cliffjumper?”

Galvatron froze, not sure he heard right. He turned to look at Megatron, to ask him “What?”… but they were no longer alone. Cliffjumper sat at the table with Megatron, swinging his short legs over the edge of the second oversized chair. Galvatron could only stare. He hadn’t seen the mini in so long, he’d almost forgotten his bright shade of red. It burned into his optics like the sun.

Slowly, the minibot smirked at him. “Did you think you were rid of me _Axle_?”

“Father?” Megatron asked worriedly, glancing at the empty chair his father was staring at in horror. It was empty. No one was there.

Cliffjumper shifted his gaze to Megatron. “He’s grown up pretty good. I wonder if our son would have grown as big…if, you know…you’d let him live like you did Megatron.” He grumbled, servos moving to rub at his chassis. When he pulled his hand away, it was coated in energon. Galvatron began to shake.

“Father! Are you alright?” Megatron asked, moving slowly towards his father so as not to startle him.

Galvatron dropped the cube in his servo as he reached for his helm. It shattered on the floor, sending glass and engeron everywhere. Was his son going to learn of his crime too? Was his guilt not enough!? Why did he have to drag Megatron down too!? Megatron jumped from his seat to catch his father before he hit fell to the floor.

“I’m sorry Son, I’m sorry…I don’t feel well…”

Megatron frowned guiltily. He had seen his father like this before, though he’d never understood the cause of these attacks. It was as if his father was breaking down from the inside out. Now, there was no other explanation for the trigger. Cliffjumper was obviously something important to his father, not matter what the situation actually was. “No, Father…that’s alright…I’m sorry.” He murmured, leading his father to the sofa when he was a bit steadier on his peds.

“But you’re quest-”

“Isn’t all that important ”Megatron cut in, “Really.”

Galvatron frowned, brow furrowing with shame even as his shoulders sank in relief. “…Alright…Alright son.”

Megatron stayed with his father a while longer, until he was sure the bot had calmed down. But halfway through he’d gotten an alert from his ship. Something had happened, and his troops needed his leadership. Galvatron smiled proudly and told him to go, that he would be fine after some rest and energon, but Megatron was more than a bit reluctant to do so. Galvatron pulled himself to his feet with a smile, carefully avoiding looking at anything but the floor or the counter as he entered the kitchen and poured himself a tall cube of High Grade. “You see? I’m fine Megs, don’t worry about me. I know how to take care of myself.”

Megatron received another insisting ping from the ship. “Alright. I have to go now Father, but I’ll visit again soon. Call if you need anything alright?”

Galvatron took a deep gulp of the high-grade, more than familiar with the burning path in made down his throat and nodded. “I will son.” He placed the cube down for a moment to hug his son goodbye “I love you, and I’m so proud of you. Now go, you’re troops need you.”

 Megatron nodded and waved weakly as he left the cave. When he passed the barrier Lugnut fell into step right behind the lord.

As Lugnut and Megatron walked back to the Nemisis, Megatron wracked his memories. His father had always been a drinker to him. He’d never let it impair his ability to be a parent, or a leader, at least until Megatron had taken over, but Megatron always knew him to drink. He drank to sleep, to relax, to think…he always had…hadn’t he? He paused in his steps. Of course, Lugnut stopped as well. “What is it my Lord…?” the copter asked.

“…Lugnut. When did my father begin drinking so heavily?” Megatron asked softly, not sure he really wanted the answer.

“What?”

“Does it align to the date he raped the Autobot?”

Lugnut remained silent for several nano-kliks, trying to remember. Suddenly, his optics widened in shock. Megatron was right. “He began drinking the mega-cycle after, my Lord.”

Megatron remained silent and strong. He nodded once and continued walking. To his most loyal soilder he appeared unperturbed, but inside, he was in shambles. Megatron knew his father. His father had honor and principles. He didn’t believe in backstabbing or bribes. He was straightforward about what he wanted and more than willing to fight for it. But if there was one thing he was absolutely uncompromising about, it was rape. He simply did not allow it. He considered it the most heinous crime possible. Megatron never completely knew where that mentality had come from, though he agreed with it, but he felt he’d just found the cause. Because Galvatron had done it to Cliffjumper and experienced the horror of it first-hand…and that brought forth another issue….

Could Cliffjumper’s rape have caused his father’s decent into madness?  And if it had…could the mini also be the one to pull him out of it? He was more than willing to give it a try. As soon as he returned to the ship, he’d order Shockwave to set up a trap for the mini, to get him off planet and to Megatron….But he was never able to make that order. As he and Lugnut approached the ship, Blitzwing came to greet them. “My Lord, our sensors have just picked up an enormous energy reading!”

“The AllSpark!?” Lugnut asked, excitedly.

Megatron spoke before Blitzwing could answer. “Both of you, return to the bridge and prepare to head for the source. I’ll be on shortly.”

The two nodded curtly and rushed aboard. Megatron took one look back before heading on board. He’d contact Shockwave as soon as they found this energy source. Immediately after.

-

Galvatron heard the roar or _The_ _Nemesis’_ engines as the ship took off from his room and heaved a sigh of relief. He sank against his bedroom door, sliding to floor and letting his face fall into his servos. He was still shaking.

He’d thought it was over again. He’d gotten comfortable. He’d started to forgive himself. He should have known better.

He stared at his shelf. On it was a lone frame with a picture Megatron had drawn him when he was young. It had always been just the two of them…and that been enough. But sometimes…sometimes Galvatron wondered how many other scribbly figures could have been in that picture if he hadn’t done what he did.

End chapter 77


	78. Transform and Roll Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! We’ve reached the start of the actual series! YAY!

Cliffjumper had been absentmindedly smiling at a framed picture Axletron had drawn for him, featuring him and his son smiling as cute scribbly figures when it happened.  Optimus had been on Space Bridge maintenance crew for two ano-cycles now. An ano-cycle in, his team had met a bot on one of their sites. It was Prowl, meditating in deep space just like he said he’d do. The team had sort of adopted the ninja bot. Optimus was adjusting, and performing even more admirably than anyone expected. It at least made Cliffjumper’s work with the Space Bridge Nexus a little easier. But aside from a few reports about upgraded and repaired space bridges, Cliffjumper hardly ever heard from Optimus or his repair team. Ratchet would send him a line now and then to see how Alxe was doing and hear the latest news on Cybertron, but Optimus was strictly professional about all communications. But now, out of nowhere, Optimus was trying to patch a call.

Cliffjumper read the request quickly. Optimus wanted a linkup to Cybertron Command Headquarters! Proper procedure dictated he had to call and ask the reason for the request. Cliffjumper bit his lip and looked around. Alright, just this once, he’d let it slide. Optimus wouldn’t call Ultra Magnus’ without a slagging good reason. He patched the call through, keeping the line open to record the conversation.

He almost regretted it when Sentinel answered. “Optimus Prime. You mean they still let you command other Autobots?”

“Don’t start Sentinel. Just put me through to Ultra Magnus.”

“Now how could a third rate rock buster possibly merit the Supreme Commander’s attention?” Sentinel asked with a sneer.

Optimus glared flatly at him before answering, “…display cargo hold visual.”

Cliffjumper’s jaw dropped as Optimus displayed a picture of his cargo hold! It was the AllSpark! Cliffjumper didn’t realize he’d even gotten out of his seat until his faceplate touched the screen. It was the AllSpark! _Holy fragging Primus!_ It looked just like he remembered it! He felt his spark swell in awe.

Sentinel blinked in surprise at the image. He’d never seen the AllSpark personally of course, but between history vids and various descriptions, it sure looked real. “I’ll put you through right away.” He answered, disconnecting the call and getting to work on sending the link to Ultra Magnus. There were a few security hoops to jump through and several codes to enter.

At the same time, Cliffjumper was accessing the sensors on Optimus’s ship. They were reading an enormous flow of energy! It had to be the real deal. But there was also trouble. From the corner of their sensory fields came an ominous purple blip. They had a Decepticon ship on their tail! He tried looking for a name but couldn’t get one. He sent the information to Ultra Magnus nano-kliks before he received the call link from Sentinel. An instant later, he appeared on Optimus’s screen.

“Ultra Magnus here, Optimus. We’re tracking your Decepticon signal. Probably just a lost scout ship. Ever since we drove them off Cybertron, the Cons have been wandering the periphery. They’d never be so foolish as to invade Autobot space. Still, I’m sending out a strike force to intercept if necessary. Meantime, you and your bots just sit tight…” Ultra Magnus explained coolly, before adding, “And Prime…Don’t try to be a hero…it’s not in your programming.”

Ultra Magnus cut the call with the team there, but Cliffjumper kept reading their ship’s sensors.

“Cliffjumper, track down their location and activate the nearest space bridge. Sentinel, alert strike force team Beta, they leave immediately.”  Ultra Magnus ordered. Cliffjumper and Sentinel both nodded as they cut the call and got to work.

Typing away madly at his keyboard, Cliffjumper ran the Decepticon ship’s energy signal through the entire database system. His optics widened as the Decepticon’s ship was identified.  It was a command ship! It was the Nemesis! It was _Megatron’s_ warship!

An alert from the corner of the screen called his attention away from the shock and horror. Optimus was trying to activate the battle protocols…Cliffjumper suddenly paled. Those features had been disabled on all non-battle ships to conserve energon. Slag! The overrides on those things had to be done manually!  

 “Come on you guys, get out of there!” Cliffjumper whispered desperately under his breath before pinging the strike force :The space bridge is ready. You better hurry, the Decepticon ship has open fired and without the battle protocols, those bots are sitting cyber-ducks!:

Sedan was the bot in charge of the Beta strike force, a strong silent type. He quickly answered: Understood. Activate the space bridge and keep us updated on the situation:

Cliffjumper quickly entered the codes to send the bots on their way and watched Omega change course into an asteroid field. Optimus was smart to try and lose a massive ship in that but it would make it hard for the strike force to find them too. His screen started blinking red as the ship registered some damage to the hull, cutting his signal.  “Scrap!” Cliffjumper cursed as he tried to reestablish the connection. As he worked, he only briefly registered a space bridge in the area had been activated. But as it deactivated again, Optimus’ ship signal vanished completely…Cliffjumper started at the screen incomprehensibly. “I lost them…”

A shrill ring rang from his comm link. It was Sedan. :Cliffjumper! Status report!:

:I lost them! Their signal is gone!:  And so was the space bridge! It wasn’t sending out a signal. It was either destroyed or broken again. :Sending last known coordinates. They vanished at the same instant a space bridge deactivated. It’s possible they could have gotten through…:  He added, hoping it held some merit.

:We’ll scout out the area. Sedan out:

…They never found anything. Optimus’ team, the Decepticon’s ship, and the All Spark had vanished without a trace.

…

The funeral took place a deca-cycle later. Sentinel was chosen to speak. Cliffjumper didn’t attend, for several reasons. Longarm was going so someone had to man the fort and Sentinel was an afthead and the mini didn’t want to stick around and listen to him utter nice white lies for Optimus’s honor. Especially after the way he’d stabbed the bot in back during that hearing a few ano-cycles ago. So he missed the “cogs-in-the-great-machine-going-down-in-the-line-of-duty” spew, and a special conversation.

Longarm Prime had approached Sentinel after his speech. “Sentinel Prime? Sir? Are you sure it’s wise to discontinue our search for Optimus Prime’s ship?” He asked slyly, trying his hardest to sound concerned before adding, “After all, the All Spark may still be—”

“The All Spark isn’t meant to be found, Longarm Prime!” Sentinel snapped suddenly, catching Longarm off guard.  

He persisted however, “Surely after all this time, Sir—”

“You’ve climbed up the Intel ladder faster than anyone I know, Longarm. Your knowledge of Decepticons is uncanny. But you’re still a young bot. Your generation has never known war. _My_ generation hid the All Spark for a reason. We don’t know where it is, and neither to the Decepticons. That’s why this peace has lasted over a million stellar cycles. And with Megatron offline, it will easily last another million stellar cycles.”

“But can we be certain sir?” Longarm asked, making sure to keep the spite out of his voice, “That Megatron is offline?”

“You’re the Intel Chief, Longarm, You’ve seen the reports from the Decepticon camps. Nothing but chaos. The kind of chaos that comes from a void in leadership…” Sentinel smirked.

Longarm stared flatly at him as he walked away, finally giving into the urge to roll his opics at the bot’s sheer arrogance. What did that cuddled Academy bred showboat know about war!? About honor or power or the All Spark!? The little brat hadn’t seen more than a Vorn, while Shockwave had seen millions. He knew what to do. Even if the Autobots were giving up on life and the All Spark, the Decepticons weren’t. Megatron would follow the All Spark and return to lead them to victory. Shockwave just had to be patient, he would keep his cover until his lord’s return. There was still plenty to learn about the Autobots…and about Axletron.

End chapter 78 


	79. Lessons

They began when Axletron was five, a few deca-cycles after Prime’s team and Megatron vanished. The incident had made Axletron very shy. Before, Decepticons had been the characters in stories, but now he saw they were real and it made him nervous. The result was that his little arms were constantly grabbing onto one of the Cliffjumper’s limbs. He became more attached to Cliffjumper than ever, and while Cliffjumper didn’t mind, it was worrying.

The sparkling still went to daycare, though he began spending more time with Perceptor and Wheeljack, learning about science and math. Cliffjumper worked hard to help him learn his Cybertronian glyphs at home and still read to him every night before bed. Axletron had even taken to reading a few of the books himself! Perceptor was impressed. Cliffjumper was proud. Axle was a natural learner, deeply curious about everything. It sometimes got him into trouble, like when he followed a stray cyber cat into a bush or when he got sick from trying too many of Wheeljack’s experimental energon candies.

Still, he loved talking with bots, wore his spark on his sleeve as he asked every question he could come up with about every topic. Hound and Mirage were some of his favorite victims and Kup always kept the sparkling entertained with old war stories when he visited the house. He’d also taken to talking to Longarm a lot, though Cliffjumper wasn’t sure he liked Axle knowing so much about Decepticons…though he didn’t protest it either. One thing Cliffjumper liked about Longarm (though he’d never admit it) was that he wasn’t obsessed with Decepticons like Highbrow had been. He recognized the threat, prepared for it, but he wasn’t overtly paranoid or prejudice. If Axletron was going to learn about Decepticons, Cliffjumper preferred a realistic representation and Longarm delivered. Primus knows everyone else was shoving Autobot Propaganda down the sparkling’s throat.

Their house hadn’t changed much. A few more pots and pans, a new bed for Axletron, a room or two had been repainted and Hound had helped them plant some red crystal roses to go with the purple ones out front. Their bookshelves were packed. Cliffjumper’s office desk was topped with more reports than ever before. And every flat surface was covered with holo-photos. Axletron, Cliffjumper, Hound, Perceptor, Wheeljack, Kup, Longarm and even Ultra Magnus, Alpha Trion and Mirage peaked out of the frames. It had taken some time, but it was home now.

Sentinel was still a Minor, but he was supposedly in line for a promotion, something the bot never stopped talking about. If it went through, he’d join Ultra Magnus on the Steelhaven as a Prime.

Cliffjumper had been packed with more and more at work. He basically ran the space bridge network now, processing requests and activating them, but he couldn’t hold it against his boss. Longarm was hardworking, intelligent, intuitive and had a knack for cracking Decepticon codes. Cliffjumper couldn’t help but be a little envious of that skill. It would certainly help him with his own off-time “hobby.”

The search for Galvatron had been slow going over the ano-cycles, but going none the less. Cliffjumper had managed to create a humble star chart of the planets in the Decepticon Empire and their connections to planned travel expeditions, trade routes and energon sources. He’d been sad to discover a good few planets had been destroyed, including Karn, the planet Axletron had first picked, and prayed to Primus Galvatron had not been on one of them when it happened. Cliffjumper had also been going through the old intercepted Decepticon transmissions, listening for signs of a young Megatron or supply chains to Galvatron, since he couldn’t talk to the Cons in the stockades without attracting unwanted attention. Asking bots about Galvatron was a pretty obvious red flag that he was interested in the bot, and lacking the truth, many could consider it an unhealthy obsession. He hadn’t gotten anything from the tapes so far, but there was still a lot to go over.  After the scouting mission that claimed Elita’s spark, he’d also begun looking for lost Decepticon ships. His map to the universe looked more like a tangled ball of yarn now. Cliffjumper didn’t know if he was looking at too much or too little.  

Meanwhile, Axle was slowly realizing he was special. He never saw another bot like himself, a “sparkling” or “youngling” like Grandpa Kup called him, anywhere. Though he really couldn’t be sure of that either, because he never went very far. He’d never left the base. His mom often took him around the base, to the crystal gardens and the engineering lab and even his office in Intel, but he’d never been outside. He’d never even really met many new bots, just his Mom’s friends and coworkers and the council members. He never got to talk to the students around base or the other teachers. He was kept inside most of the time. Axletron sometimes wondered what it was like out there. But then he thought of Kup’s stories about Decepticons and remembered Optimus’s team and figured he didn’t really _need_ to know…yet…maybe when he was bigger.

But one day Axletron got a surprise. Something that changed the way he looked around at the world and at himself.

Alpha Trion had asked to see Cliffjumper and Axletron before they headed home, in the dojo on base. The dojo was one of the places Cliffjumper rarely visited, since the Cyber Ninja Corps were mainly stationed on the main dojo on the other side of the city, and the dojo on base was used for private lessons and practices whenever a Ninja came to visit. It was secret to most of the base.  Axletron loved the strange new building though, his tiny mouth opened in awe as he scanned every inch and corner of the space. It was new and exciting. He had never been there before!

“Hey Cliffjumper!”

Cliffjumper turned sharply as Axletron squeaked in surprise and hid behind his legs. Jazz had snuck up on them. Cliffjumper glared at him, but couldn’t keep the smirk off his faceplate. He liked Jazz. Liked his laidback attitude and go-with-the-flow vide. He was a lot like Axletron, only with more slang. He’d gotten close to the ninja-bot after Yoketron’s funeral, since he’d been transferred to Ultra Magnus’ team. “Hey Jazz. How’ve you been?”

“Pretty good. Just got back from checking out the main dojo. Warpath’s doing a great job with it.” He said with a sad smile, he missed Yoketron as much as any of his students did. He brightened up a bit when he snuck a quick peek at Axletron, who had poked his head out from behind Cliffjumper to get a better look at the bot. He’d heard a lot about the little bot from Ultra Magnus, but he’d never had the chance to meet him in person before.

Looking down at his son with a smile, Cliffjumper slowly drew Axletron out from behind him. “Axletron, this is Jazz. He’s one of mommy’s friends.”

Jazz smirked at the minibot’s reference to himself as ‘mommy’ and bent down to Axletron’s level. “Hey Axletron. How are you?”

Axletron looked panicked for a moment but slowly adopted a smile. He was a social bot by nature even if he was a bit shy. “I’m ok.” he said softly. “Are you a spy like Uncle Mirage?”

Jazz laughed gleefully, and answered with a carefree smile. “I’m a cyber-ninja. It’s kind of like being a spy, only with more fighting.”

“You fight? Are you a warrior? Mommy was a warrior…”

“Sort of. A cyber-ninja is taught to fight in a certain way, one that’s faster and quieter and sneakier than full out fighting.” Jazz explained.

As Axletron continued his barrage of questions, Alpha Trion arrived. He nodded to Jazz and Cliffjumper as they saluted, smiling softly at Axletron when the bot greeted him.

“A word, Cliffjumper?” Alpha Trion asked, gesturing for the front door.

 “Sure, Alpha Trion.” Cliffjumper replied, bending over to speak to Axletron. “Hang out with Jazz for a bit ok, Axle?”

Axle nodded eagerly. Jazz led Axletron to the center of the dojo, instructing the sparkling softly on the purpose of the Autobot Ninja Corps and some of the martial arts styles he knew. Axletron listened with rapt attention, eyes glowing and smile wide. Cliffjumper watched him even as he followed Alpha Trion into the hall. They stopped just outside the door, where they could talk in private but still keep an optic on the two bots inside.

“What did you want to talk about Alpha Trion?”

“…You recall what happened to Optimus…?”

Cliffjumper frowned sadly, “Of course.”

“…The Decepticons are back Cliffjumper. With Megatron’s disappearance, others have risen to try and take his place, attacking Autobot outposts to prove their worth. We’ve managed to hold them back, but I do not want to leave anything to chance, especially where Axletron is concerned.” Alpha Trion stressed, clenching his hands behind his back as he watched the sparkling.

Cliffjumper flinched back in surprise. “They don’t even know he exists. How could he become a target?” he asked worriedly.

“It only takes one slip Cliffjumper.” Alpha Trion explained, holding up a finger to emphasize his point, “one double agent getting a little too close. Even when Highbrow was in charge, there was no way to protect ourselves completely from Decepticon espionage.”

“Even so, the Decepticons are weak right now, there’s no way they’d be able to come within a hundred yards of him.”  Cliffjumper asserted, glancing at the red sparkling. They were protected from every side, inside and out. Every level of the base was built to keep Decepticons out. Even if a Decepticon did make it in, there no way in the pit he’d get out on his own, let alone with Axletron. And that was just considering what Cliffjumper would do to them.

Alpha Trion frowned before shaking his head sadly. “No…. But plenty of Autobots can.”

Cliffjumper stiffened. “…what are you saying, Alpha Trion? Do you suspect traitors…?” he asked, softly.

“Not traitors, Cliffjumper… Just frightened and ignorant bots.” Alpha Trion said sadly. “The new generations would not understand Axletron Cliffjumper. It is one of the many reasons we have kept him a secret from them. He is a mystery, and people do not like what they cannot understand. You know as well as anyone that just because one is an Autobot, does not mean they are incapable of cruelty….I worry…about what they would do if they learned about him….”

Cliffjumper shuddered. He knew what fear did to people; made them mean, ignorant and cruel. He didn’t want Axletron on the short end of their prejudice. His looks alone were enough to arouse suspicion, if his history was known too…he’d be ostracized…hated even! “…what do you want to do Alpha Trion? He’s impossibly sheltered as it is…” Cliffjumper swallowed thickly. “I just want him to be safe…and happy…”

Alpha Trion nodded sagely. “Cliffjumper, I want Axletron to be protected just as much as you do…but you know he cannot be kept hidden forever.” Cliffjumper nodded in agreement. “He will grow and become his own bot and has to be ready to defend himself…not only against physical challenges, but social and political ones as well.”

Cliffjumper’s face fell but he didn’t protest Alpha Trion’s words. He knew Axletron would grow up…he just though he had some _time_ before then.  “What do you want him to do Alpha Trion? He’s just a kid…”

“I want to prepare him.” Alpha Trion replied. “I want him to attend several lessons from now on, in various subjects. I know he’s intelligent, I dare say he’d welcome the challenge.”

“What subjects? And with whom?” Cliffjumper asked, frowning.

“Oh, I’m quite sure you’ll approve of the teachers.” Alpha Trion answered with a small grin. “Perceptor will teach him science; Wheeljack, engineering; Hound, botanics; Jazz, martial arts; Kup, history, and I myself will instruct him on the Autobot code.” Cliffjumper fell silent, mulling it over. That was a big workload for a kid. Alpha Trion placed a comforting hand on his shoulder pad. “Cliffjumper…he can’t be a secret forever. Not from the Autobots…and not from the Decepticons…” he said softly. “I do not know how they would react to him…but it is better he be prepared for anything.”

“…Yeah…alright…you’re right…” Cliffjumper mumbled, subconsciously rubbing his wrists. “I’ll talk to him about it. If he seems interested, we can start right away, but if not, I won’t force him. He’s still a kid Alpha Trion, he doesn’t need to learn everything all at once. Take it slow.”

Alpha Trion hesitated for an instant before nodding in acceptance. He watched Axletron try and match Jazz’s kick, tumbling over with a laugh before bidding Cliffjumper goodbye.  Cliffjumper watched Axletron for another moment before heading back into the dojo. The sparkling seemed to be having fun. Maybe he _would_ enjoy the lessons.  

…

On their walk home that night, Axletron couldn’t stop talking about his meeting with Jazz. About the few moves he shown him and the stories he told him about the dojo. He even demonstrated a block. “And mom! That’s not even the coolest thing! Jazz said he could teach me to do kicks and use cool ninja tools and sneak around like Mirage, only without that disruptor he uses!” Axletron babbled. “Wouldn’t that be cool mom? Jazz says I could be a master someday! Do you think I could be a master?” The youngling looked to the red mini for an answer.

Cliffjumper nodded and smiled, “Definitely.  Might take some time, and a lot of training, but if you really want to, I say you can do it.” That sent Axletron over the moon. He skipped a bit ahead of Cliffjumper, stopping to wait for the mini on the sidewalk in front of their house. “In fact…I think there are a lot of things you could become a master at Axle.” Cliffjumper added when he caught up to the sparkling.

“Really?” Axle asked curiously, holding the gate open.

“Yes. And I’m not the only one that thinks so.” Cliffjumper explained as he climbed up the steps and unlocked the door, letting the sparkling inside. “Alpha Trion wants you to take lessons with some of the other Autobots on base.”

“Lessons?” Axletron asked as he climbed on the couch.

“Yup. A bunch of different kinds, including Circuit-sui with Jazz.”  Cliffjumper added. “Sound like something you want to do?”

“Yeah!

“You sure, you don’t have to if you don’t want to…” Cliffjumper made sure to emphasize the fact that Axle had a choice.

Axletron blinked for a moment, seemingly thinking it over. “I think it’ll be fun. I like learning stuff…”

Cliffjumper smiled and pet Axletron, rubbing his horns comfortingly, “All right then, I’ll let Alpha Trion know and we can get you started right away.”

Axletron nodded and Cliffjumper headed into the kitchen to start dinner. Axletron stayed on the sofa, the wheels turning in his head.  He was going to be taught. All of the members in his “family” had received training and now he was going to get it too! That meant he we was one of them right? Even if he was the only “sparkling” around, even if he was largely hidden, he was still one of them. He was an _Autobot_.

End chapter 79 


	80. Fairy-tales and Family

Shockwave had never been to Cliffjumper’s home before. He knew many of the others had. Mirage, Hound, and Sentinel were regular visitors. Even Ultra Magnus popped in often enough, but Longarm had never accepted the invitation to dinner…before today.

Today marked the second ano-cycle anniversary since his Lord Megatron had gone missing, and he had next to nothing to show for his time among the Autobots and even less on Axletron. So he’d taken up the offer, and there he was on Cliffjumper’s doorstep, a ridiculous potted plant in his servos. He hadn’t expected Cliffjumper to have a garden and his blue crystal daisies seemed sad next to the mini’s flourishing roses. Still, he had to play the grateful guest. Axletron answered the door. The sparkling smiled a gap-tooth grin when he saw Longarm. He’d lost his tooth in an experiment with Wheeljack, but it’d been ‘for science’ so he didn’t get into too much trouble.

“Hi Longarm Prime!” Axle greeted, opening the door wider, “Come in!”

Smiling indulgently, Longarm passed through the threshold and took in the house. It was a comfortable size for him, so I must seem big to Cliffjumper and Axletron. Still, the walls were painted, the couches worn, holo-images were everywhere and there was an overflowing pad-shelf next to an open toy chest. Axletron must have been playing, since toys were littered all over the floor around the chest.

“Mommy! Longarm Prime is here!” Axletron shouted, heading for the kitchen. Cliffjumper popped out to grab him just before he turned the corner.

“Yes, I heard” Cliffjumper replied with a smirk. “Go pick up your toys so we can eat.”

“Awwww, but I wanted to keep playing.” Axletron whined.

“You’ve played enough for one afternoon. It’s time for dinner.” Cliffjumper explained, “Your toys will still be there tomorrow.”

Letting out a suffering sigh, Axletron whined, “Fiiiine” and dragged himself to pick up his toys. Rolling his optics with a smile, Cliffjumper went to greet Longarm.

“Hi Longarm, thanks for coming.”

“Thank you for the invitation, Cliffjumper.” Longarm replied, trying to sound warm, handing the daisies to the mini.

With a quick thanks and a smile Cliffjumper gestured him to follow into the kitchen. After placing the potted plant on the counter, the mini grabbed some plates from kitchen table and moved for the dining room. “Food’s just about done.”

Before Longarm could do more than smile, Axletron skipped back into the room and after grabbing enough silverware for 3 asked the teal bot, “Have you ever tried crystal energon pasta, Longarm prime?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t had the pleasure” Longarm replied, deciding to make himself useful and grab the glasses that had been left behind.

The dining room was moderately large, and tastefully decorated. It had dark blue walls and two small, hanging light fixtures. It was big enough to fit four or five military bots at least, so it had more than enough space for one military bot and two and a half minis. It made Shockwave want to stretch into his true form, but that probably wouldn’t go over well. Cliffjumper had set them up at one end of the table, placing Axletron at the head of the table to help keep him clean during the meal.

The plates were already laid out and the sparkling was placing a knife and fork perfectly into place by each one.

“Ok, you two take a seat and I’ll be right back.” Cliff said with a smirk, picking up Axle to place him on his seat, plopping him down with a kiss.

With an amused chuckle, Longarm took his own seat, sending the sparkling on a long account of the menu for the night, its preparation and why he liked it with a single question.  

Shockwave was shocked to find the meal…edible. He hadn’t expected Cliffjumper to actually know how to cook, but he was certainly able to see the sparkling’s point. It was a welcome change from standard energon cubes.

After dinner, which was managed with only a few close calls and just two small stains on the tablecloth, Cliffjumper had moved them into the kitchen. Axletron, after helping put away the cleaned dishes, headed into the living room to get in another micro-cycle of playtime, leaving Cliffjumper and Longarm to enjoy a little after dinner drink at the kitchen table.

Shockwave kept the conversation light, focusing on questions about Axletron and his classes, work, and the similar academy experiences. Axletron was doing well in his classes, spending a great deal of time with Alpha Trion. Shockwave didn’t need to think very hard about what the old bot was shoving down the boy’s throat, spoon-feeding him Autobot propaganda, preparing him for whatever he had planned. The spy could only assume Cliffjumper endorsed the idea, after all, the mini was allowing the lessons to persist; though, to be fair, he was concerned about how fast Alpha Trion seemed to be pushing Axletron to grow up.

Their easy conversation was broken into with the beep of a comm. link. Cliffjumper, being one of the main operators for the space bridge Nexus was essentially always on call. Shockwave counted himself lucky on that front. Cliffjumper activated his comm. with a frown. “Cliffjumper here.”  Longarm watched as a frown slowly darkened the minibot’s faceplate. With a final scowl and a role of his optics, Cliffjumper ended the call with a sharp “I’m coming.”

Apparently taking a moment to reign in his temper, Cliffjumper turned apologetically to Longarm. “Sorry to cut the night short Longarm, I need to get Sentinel out of a jam.”

“No problem, take your time.” Longarm replied with an easy smile, “I can watch Axletron until you get back.”

“You don’t need to do that; I can drop him off with Hound on my way-”

“It’s no trouble Cliffjumper.” Longarm smiled again, “Really, go ahead.”

Casting Longarm a grateful look, Cliffjumper called Axletron into the room and after a quick explanation, headed out the door, leaving behind a promise to come back in a micro-cycle or less.

 After an awkward moment of staring oddly at each other, Axletron broke into a smile that Longarm easily returned. “Wanna read a book with me?” he asked, excitedly.

“It’s a bit late. Why don’t you get ready for bed, and then we’ll read until your mom comes back? What do you say?”

“Ok!”

As the young bot headed upstairs, Shockwave swiftly slid into Cliffjumper office. He didn’t have much time so he’d have to work fast. One could only guess how long an excited sparkling would take to brush his denta.

He had to admit, he expected something a bit more organized, considering how the bot was at work. His office was more like a paper landfill than an office…but perhaps that was simply because of all the materials there. Shockwave glanced over the maps on the walls quickly, his true optic taking in every last detail. He scanned the titles on the data pads and the lines of string between charts, pinned with small paper dates and names.

Cliffjumper had researched trade routes, peace agreements and planets in the Decepticon Empire and its surrounding systems, all around the end of the first war?

He began to look closer at the charts, skimming the notes on the mini’s desk. His real optic flickered in shock when he realized what he was looking at. It wasn’t after the first war, it was during Megatron’s youth! Cliffjumper was very specifically looking for sparkling materials. He was trying to follow Galvatron’s trail through Megatron’s needs as a sparkling!

…It was actually rather clever.

 In fact, he was sure no one had thought of doing such a thing before and sincerely doubted anyone but Cliffjumper could have done it, especially if he’d interfaced with Galvatron. Hearing the pitter patter of a sparkling coming down the steps, Shockwave spared the room one last roaming glance and exited the room, swiftly shutting the door as Axletron slid around the corner and smiled at him, denta sparkling.

“Done!”

“Good” Longarm said with a smile. “What would you like to read?”

“You’re the guest” Axletron replied, “Mommy says what when you have guests it polite to let them choose stuff like that…”

“Well I suppose that is good manners. Let me have a look then.” Moving to the overstuffed shelves, he scanned the pads slowly, taking his time. Eventually he selected Rapunzelbot. Settling on the sofa, Shockwave forced himself not to twitch as Axletron climbed on to sit by him. The bot was just so tiny, so…fragile. 

“Once upon a time” he began, “there were two farmers, who loved each other very much. One day, when the mommy farmer was so very hungry, she begged her sparkmate to get her some of the energon fruits that their neighbor grew. But their neighbor lived behind a great wall and didn’t like visitors and never liked giving her fruit away. So, one night, the farmer snuck into her garden and stole the fruit for his bondmate, but before he could go back over the wall, the neighbor caught him!”

Axletron gasped, and Longarm spared him a smile before he continued. “The farmer begged for mercy, and he and his neighbor made a deal. He could take as much fruit as his wife wanted, but in exchange, the neighbor would get any sparkling the couple might have. The farmer agreed.”

“Why?” Axletron asked suddenly.

“Why what, Axletron?”

“Why would the farmer be ok with giving his sparkling away like that. Mommy says he would never do that with me…”

“Not all bots are as brave as your mommy. He was probably just scared, and didn’t think things through.” Long replied before he continued with the story. “Ano-cycles went by and the farmer forgot his promise to his neighbor, until he and his wife had a sparkling. The cycle after she was born, their neighbor came and asked for her, but the farmers didn’t want to give her up, even though they’d promised it. Angry, the neighbor stole the sparkling and ran away with her. Too keep her safe, the neighbor locked her in a tall tower and every day she would come with energon. To get into the tower, Rupanzelbot would transform her hair into a long rope.

“They lived together for many vorns, and were happy, until one day a mysterious bot found Rupanzelbot’s tower. Sneaking in, he told her of a story he’d heard in one of the villages he traveled through, of a farmer couple whose sparkling had been kidnapped after she was born and never found. Rupanzelbot, realizing she was the stolen sparking and shocked that the person she’d called a mother all that time was a kidnapper, grew angry and when her mother came that day, demanded to be returned to her family. Well, the kidnapper refused, claiming that _she_ was her real family, not like the farmers who had agreed to give her away for fruit. Angry and betrayed at Rupanzelbot’s lack of loyalty she got into a horrible fight with the mysterious bot that had climbed into the tower and fell out of the window to her death. Together, Rupanzelbot and her rescuer returned to her family, and lived happily ever after. The end.”

Axle looked like he was dozing off by his side. Not wanting to squander the opportunity to make an impression on the sparkling, Longarm asked him, “What do you think of the story Axletron? Do you think the neighbor was right when she said she was Rupanzelbot’s family?”

Blinking rapidly, Axletron forced himself to stay awake and answer drowsily, “I dunno… It said that Rupanzelbot and the neighbor were happy…and the father did trade her…what to do think Longarm Prime?”

“Rupanzelbot belonged with her family, no matter what the kidnapper said.” Longarm assured. “Family is very important. They are the ones that can tell you right from wrong, because no one knows you like family.”

“But Rupanzelbot didn’t spend that much time with her family. How could they know her if they never spent any time with her?” Axletron asked with a yawn.

“It’s in the code. Stolen children rarely do well away from their _true_ kind.” Longarm explained, his red optic sparkling brightly. “Sometimes, they way you’re raised can interfere with who you really are. After all, teachers and friends are one thing, they come and go. Family…real family… is another thing all together.” Longarm said softly. “Real family is for life.”

Axletron stayed silent, his curious processor turning the words over. Who was his ‘real’ family? He had Uncle Hound and Grandpa Ultra Magnus, Uncle Mirage and Grandpa Alpha Trion, even Uncle Perceptor and Uncle Wheeljack…but none of them were like mommy. They weren’t connected by code like Longarm said _real_ families were…          

Full from dinner and tired from playing, Axletron fell asleep what thinking about what Longarm prime said.

Not long after, Cliffjumper returned to find Axletron asleep, curled into Longarm’s side.

“Thank you for watching him Longarm.” Cliffjumper thanked, picking the sleeping sparkling up and placing him automatically on his hip.

“No problem Cliffjumper. I’ll see you at work Monday.” Longarm replied. “Thank you for a lovely evening. Good night.”

“Good Night.”

After Longarm Prime transformed and drove away, Cliffjumper carried Axletron up to his room and into bed.

“Mommy?” Axletron said softly, when he been placed under his planked.

“Yes?”

“…What’s a real family like?” he asked, curling into his pillow.

Confused, Cliffjumper frowned, and asked softly, “What do you mean a ‘real’ family?”

“I mean…a family…” Axletron yawned, “like in Rapunzelbot, where everyone’s related and just…knows where they belong.”

Cliffjumper just furrowed his brow. He’d never gotten these kinds of questions when he’d read the story to Axle before…but it had been a while. Maybe he was just looking at differently. “…There are lots of different kinds of families. You don’t have to be related to someone to consider them family. Just look at our family. They may not be linked to you through code, but you have uncles and grandpas.  We have a family we’ve built ourselves…” petting his sparkling’s horns, he added, “I think that’s a real enough family for us. Don’t you?”

“…Yes, mommy…” Axletron answered after a pause, “I like our family…”

“I like it too. G’night Axletron.”

With that and a goodnight kiss, Cliffjumper tucked the bot into bed, wrapping the blanket tightly around his shoulders.

But even as Cliffjumper turned off the lights and left for the night, Axletron stared at the glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceiling and wondered until he fell asleep again, “ _Would a real family be better than a built one?”_

End chapter 80 


	81. A Plot Planted, A Plan Plotted

A mega-cycle after dinner at Cliffjumper’s, Shockwave had still been unable to explain Cliffjumper’s research. He knew the mini was searching for Galvatron, but he didn’t know his motives. Was he looking for revenge? It seemed very unlikely, considering the utter lack of rage or animosity he held in day to day life, never mind how he adored Axletron. If he was a spy was he looking for Galvatron to rejoin him? If Shockwave was right about Galvatron manipulating Cliffjumper’s feelings, surely the minibot wasn’t stupid enough to believe Galvatron had been sincere.

Whatever the case, if Shockwave confronted Cliffjumper directly, the red bot could very well claim revenge to justify his search, even if it wasn’t his actual motive. Shockwave still had to consider it; it would not do, after all, to encourage such a vendetta on his lord’s father.

Either way, it was unlikely Cliffjumper would be completely open with him, so Shockwave had to figure out another way to find out the truth.

And then one day, when he was reviewing wanted postings, it struck him. Cliffjumper may not speak honestly to him, but perhaps he would speak honestly to the very target of his search: Galvatron! Naturally, Shockwave couldn’t lead him to the actual Galvatron, but if he could make him believe another bot was the former warlord, just long enough to discover his motives…it could work. He just needed a suitable story.

For a Deca-cycle he put everything into place. In that time, he went to Cliffjumper house more often than he did in the previous 3 ano-cycles combined. Axletron claimed it was his mother’s cooking, Cliffjumper claimed it was his son’s spark. Shockwave knew it was the office that only seemed to get more and more crowded with papers. Somehow, Cliffjumper’s search was moving forward. Somehow, he was narrowing down his scope.

When everything was in place, Shockwave called Cliffjumper into his office. Asking the minibot to sit down, signaling they would be speaking for a while, he locked his door and shut the blinds on the windows. While not an unusual measure when discussing sensitive material, Cliffjumper and he hadn’t planned on any such meeting.

“We need to talk Cliffjumper” was the only explanation he offered when the mini arched an eyebrow bridge questioningly at him.

“About what Longarm Prime?” Cliffjumper asked, more than a bit confused. What could have brought this on? It had to be work related or Longarm would have reached out to him off the clock.

Deciding to cut straight to the chase and praying it didn’t backfire, Longarm calmly replied, “About your little cross-galaxy scavenger hunt.”

Cliffjumper forced himself not to freeze up, even as his spark seemed to thunder within his chassis. He’d always known this would happen. It had always been a possibility in the back of his mind that someone would figure out what he was doing. He should have thought twice about inviting Longarm over so often. The bot was head of Cybertronian intelligence for crying out loud. Playing dumb would probably just piss Longarm of, but so long as he acted like he wasn’t doing anything wrong, he’d be ok…or so he prayed. “A bot can’t have a hobby?” Cliffjumper joked, hoping his voice didn’t sound panicky or defensive.

Longarm arched an eyebrow ridge. “You’ve been doing quite a bit of research on this Cliffjumper, more than a passing curiosity and much more than a hobby…” he replied flatly, placing the data pad with Cliffjumper’s visits to the archives and his map and star chart purchases before the minibot. Cliffjumper picked up the pad and quickly read through it. Scrap. It was times like this he really hated their data currency. It always left a trail, no matter how obscure your sources were.

Cliffjumper swallowed, forcing himself not to fiddle with the pad. “I…suppose I may have gotten a bit…overenthusiastic with it…” he said with a shrug, not at all sure how to respond.

“What are you looking for Cliffjumper?” Longarm asked curiously. Cliffjumper took what relief he could get from the fact that the Prime didn’t sound angry or accusing.

Cliffjumper didn’t want to lie, but he couldn’t exactly tell the truth…so half-truth was probably the best. With any luck he could salvage the situation from traitor to obsessed freak. That could work…probably. “There’s not much to it, I’m looking for Decepticons.”

“Which Decepticons?”

“Uh…the ones not currently in the stockades for war crimes?”  Cliffjumper replied awkwardly.

Longarm stared flatly at him for a moment before he stated, “That’s not your job.”

Cliffjumper blinked in confusion. What did _that_ mean? “I’m an Autobot. Dealing with Cons _is_ my job.”

“ _Your_ job is to manage the space bridge network and support the Intel department. What you’re doing is our _agent’s_ job. They are the ones that hunt down Cons. You are the one that stays home with Axletron. You’re looking for something…” Longarm declared. Cliffjumper kept his silence, looking Longarm straight in the optic. Looking away would mean guilt, so he kept optic contact. Noticing the silence, Longarm continued, “Come on Cliffjumper. I’m not trying to get you in to trouble or anything. I just want to know what you’re looking for…and why.”

“What exactly do you think I’m looking for, Longarm Prime?” Cliffjumper asked suddenly, hoping the snap in his tone wasn’t too sharp. He wasn’t about to let Longarm put words in his mouth.

“I think you’re looking for Galvatron.” Longarm replied flatly, folding his hands under his chin, as though they were having a completely normal conversation.

“…What?”

“I think you’re looking for Galvatron.” Longarm said again, suppressing a smirk at Cliffjumper’s absolutely befuddled face.

With a huff, Cliffjumper began to growl, “Why would I—”

“Because of what he did to you.” Longarm interrupted.

Cliffjumper flinched violently and looked away. There was that guilty sting again. The weight of living a lie and having to keep using it; sometimes he wanted to open his window and scream out to the world that Galvatron didn’t rape him! ...but that was a stupid move if he ever made one. So he just festered in guilt and shame as Longarm looked on, thinking he knew what the mini was feeling. “Why in the world would I want to see him again after what he did?” he gritted through his denta.

“That’s what I’m wondering as well.” Longarm replied. “Why would you want to see the bot that turned your life completely around on its head? What could you possibly have to say to him to search for him like this?”

Deciding there was no point in denying it any further, Cliffjumper grumbled honestly “…I’m not entirely sure actually”. He’d thought about what he’d say to Galvatron if he ever saw him again many times, but could never come up with the words, so he’d stopped thinking about it, instead directing his efforts to finding the bot first.

“…is this about Axletron?” Longarm asked with some concern. Shockwave had had a lot of trouble trying to fit the sparking into Cliffjumper’s plans. If he wanted revenge he might rub his sparkling in Galvatron’s faceplate, but that really didn’t sound like Cliffjumper. The minibot loved the youngling, spark and code. If he’d been a double agent or an Autobot ready to turn he might hold onto Axle like a trump card, but again that didn’t seem right. If anything, Cliffjumper would keep Axletron a secret just to keep him out of harm’s way.

“NO!” Cliffjumper snarled. “This doesn’t have anything to do with Axletron! ”

Longarm frowned. At least the mini was being honest about that. “Even if he’s not directly involved, it’s not like you can keep him out of this Cliffjumper. Why are you doing this? I thought you’d…overcome what Galvatron did…”

“I have!” Cliffjumper shouted, before flinching. “Sorry…I have. I…I just need to know what happened to him…” Cliffjumper murmured softly with a cringe. He sounded too soft, he needed to say more. “…I need him to know that he didn’t…he didn’t break me…” he added with a deep breath, trying to make himself sound angry. It wasn’t too hard, he was pretty angry with what he was allowing to come out of his vocalizer.

Shockwave forced his Longarm face to nod even as he frowned mentally. That really didn’t help him. Cliffjumper wasn’t saying much. What’s more, he’d said he was more of less over the bot for the rape, but still wanted him…punished? Was this righteous revenge? Or closure? Shockwave couldn’t help but think that some of Cliffjumper’s statements could be taken in multiple ways. It was a lot like how a spy would talk when under questioning to avoid suspicion. Ugh, he was going to have to push for more. Hopefully his plan would work.

“I see.” Longarm replied. “…well…in that case…maybe I can help.”

Cliffjumper looked up so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash. “W-what?!” he croaked.

Longarm dug some files out from his desk and passed them over to Cliffjumper. “What do you think happened to the Decepticons, Cliffjumper?” he asked, making Cliffjumper frown in confusion at the topic change. “They once made up the labor force of the planet. Is it really possible that they all left Cybertron, particularly some of the higher ups?”

Cliffjumper just blinked, before scanning the data-pads in his servos. “We’ve uncovered multiple Decepticons trying to pass of as civilians or Autobots…but what does that have to do with Galvatron?” he asked. Surely the warlord couldn’t have stayed hidden for eons like that. He was too important a figure, to well known…well, by the older generation anyway.

“I’ll let you in on a little suspicion I have, Cliffjumper” Longarm said softly,  “I can’t prove it, yet, but I believe there is a Decepticon in the stockades who isn’t who he says he is. I think it’s Galvatron is disguise.”

Cliffjumper’s spark stopped. “But…how can that even be possible…?” there was no way Galvatron could have maintained his identity in the stockades, under constant surveillance!

“A frame mold isn’t all that difficult to change”

“But a personality?” Cliffjumper questioned with disbelief. “Hiding a normal one would be hard enough but an insane one?”

“Plenty of bots go mad in the stockades. What’s one more lunatic who occasionally thinks he’s a warlord. Do you know how many reports come in about a bot that’s claiming to be Megatron or one of his higher ups every deca-cycle?”

Cliffjumper frowned. Of course he knew; those slagging claims had their own file cabinet. “Ok, I see your point. But surely _someone_ would have recognized him.”

“That’s actually where you come in.”

“Me?”

“If you’re willing.”

“Willing to what?” Cliffjumper asked, getting a bit tired of this game.

“Going in and confirming my suspicions.” Longarm replied. “You’re right, surely someone would have recognized him by now…if they’d known him. It’s been eons since the first war, and very few Decepticons remain that knew him well enough to recognize him, and even fewer trustworthy Autobots, including you.”

“How am _I_ supposed to recognize him?” Cliffjumper asked with the slightest hint of panic. No one was supposed to know about his relationship with Galvatron. As far as everyone was concerned, the rape had been a spontaneous act of violence. “Aside from that one instance-”

 “I know it’s a lot to ask Cliffjumper” Longarm interrupted, “particularly with your history with him…but you’re possibly the only one that could identify him for certain. A lot of vital information can be gained from one interaction…especially one as…intimate as that forced upon you.” Longarm stared at the mini with what he hoped was a reassuring look. “On top of that, there isn’t anyone else capable of identifying him that I _trust_ with this mission…”

Cliffjumper felt his throat constrict with guilt…and longing. Longarm _trusted_ him and he was betraying him. He wasn’t looking for Galvatron out of some sense of justice or even revenge, but selfish, faction betraying love. He missed the purple warlord. And the very idea that he could be so close; so within his reach? It made his spark thunder in anticipation and swell with hope. He knew the chances of it being Galvatron were slim, but all of his ideas had a slim chance of being the right one, at least this one was something he could verify first hand! To have this chance to possibly find his wayward lover dangled in front of his face was…spark wrenching. He desperately wanted to see Galvatron again, even if his body was different. But in wanting that, in going so far to see it happen, he was betraying his faction, his friends, and his superiors, everyone he cared about and respected. He swallowed thickly, “Won’t bots wonder about a random visit to the stockades?”

“By all looks and appearances, you’ll be going to check up on Wasp. While you’re there, ask for a quick tour to see how things are running. I’ll give you information on the bot’s cell. ”Longarm replied quickly.  Noticing the mini’s reluctance, though certainly not understanding the reasons for it, Longarm paused for a moment before asking formally, “Will you accept this mission Cliffjumper?”

Cliffjumper frowned and curled into himself ever so slightly for a moment. Finally, he sat up straight and nodded at his superior. He couldn’t be sure it wasn’t Galvatron unless he checked himself. He couldn’t let this chance go to waste. “All right. I’ll do it.”

Longarm smiled, the red orb on his forehead glowing brightly. “Perfect.”

**End chapter 81**


	82. The Stockades

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m stretching things a bit, but essentially, an ano-cycle (one cybtertronian year) is equal to about 3.2 human years. Optimus and his team have been gone for 2 ano-cycles so far, that’s about 6.5 human years out of the 50 years they were stuck under the lake. Math is grand isn’t it? 
> 
> Many thanks to Lair of the Twisted Muses for bringing this to light. I’ll try an add little notes like this to give you all a heads up on this story’s progress with the actual series. :D
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Everybot had an image of the stockades in their processors. It was hard not too, when the prison city of Kaon was basically in eveybot’s backyard. It had once been the Decepticon city-state, then their capital, and now, after eons of war, it was the site of the Autobot’s highest security prison: Trypticon, the Decepticon’s former stronghold. History said that some of the war’s longest battles took place there, before the war moved into space.

Over 50 stories high, the building loomed a bit like a castle out of a lake. It rained often in Kaon, more often than the rest of the planet, and so much acid rain had poured into the lake it was basically toxic. Impossible to swim through for even the most thickly armored bot. The stronghold was connected to the mainland by three large bridges. Since most Decepticons were capable of flight, they’d been destroyed several times to keep the Autobots out.

Half of the prison ran under the toxic lake. Heavily reinforced, it housed the highest-security criminals, including war criminals, keeping them trapped under millions of gallons of acid. Above the water, in the three towers, were the lower-security cells and the administration and command centers. At each tower’s peak was a shield generator, meant to repel airborne attacks.

Cliffjumper had had to visit the administration’s office first. The offices weren’t very different from those at the Metroplex, aside from the fact that most of them had higher ceilings, since the larger Decepticon rooms had been split apart into smaller offices. Though, considering how few bots were actually there, Cliffjumper wondered why they’d bothered.

Longarm had seen Cliffjumper made it to the Stockades a mega-cycle after their little conversation. The official story was that he was checking the conditions of the facility, inmates, and specifically the prisoner Wasp.  He’d been expected and was granted a pass and a tour guide with very little trouble. Apparently it’d been a while since they’d been inspected and certainly not from someone like the deputy to the Head of Cybertronian Intel. Apparently, Highbrow Prime had usually sent a technician or two every vorn to make sure everything was in working order. Needless to say, most of the bots were eager to please.

When Cliffjumper passed from the calm admirations buildings, through the security posts and past several check points, he finally saw what he expected the stockades to look like.

The first level was composed of simple, two-inmate, energon bar cells. Most of the bots there were petty criminals: thieves, druggies, Autobots “gone bad.”  As he moved closer and closer to back elevator though, he met up with the murders and rapists. Since they didn’t have a Decepticon’s mass or strength, and they didn’t hold any political clout, positive or negative, they were placed with the rest of the scum. Cliffjumper had had to put up with their pawing servos reaching out for him from the cell bars and lewd calls for attention, but kept him mouth shut and his gaze straight ahead.

Lower down, it was colder, more desolate. Away from the sky and underwater, it seemed dark, even with the high res lights. Thick concrete and titanium walls pulsed with energy for all of the bars and gates.  Cliffjumper noticed the emergency supplies at every corner held more status cuffs than fire extinguishers. Decepticons criminals were held there, so the cells were singles, since two bots could break through the walls with enough force and effort. The bars were thicker, though not yet the solid energy walls of the highest security prisoners. Since they were larger, Clifjumper expected the rooms to be bigger too, but they were actually rather small. The Decepticons hardly had enough room to turn around, let alone pace or anything. He noticed a few bots had some older data-pads, the kind that had to be directly linked to something to transfer information, but most of the cells were empty aside from their inmate. Those bots, if they bothered to look up at all, listlessly glared at him as he passed along.

By the time Cliffjumper had arrived to Wasp’s section, he’d been at the complex for 3 micro-cycles. He’d skipped lunch to talk to some of the staff and inmates in the higher levels.

Near the very bottom of the complex, war criminals, traitors and spies were locked in solitary.  Each cell was reinforced with titanium and bared with a pure energy field that if touched directly, could fry a bots spark after prolonged contact. These cells were likely the largest in the site but they still didn’t have a lot of pacing room. Wasp, conveniently enough, was actually housed three cells over from the bot Longarm suspected was Galvatron in disguise, but Cliffjumper had to get rid of his babysitter before he could speak to him, so he addressed Wasp first.

Wasp, being a mini Autobot, seemed too small for his cell. He huddled in a corner, trembling and mumbling under his breath. Cliffjumper could understand the trembling, mini’s didn’t run as hot as larger bots so they got cold easier, but the mumbling?

“You mind?” Cliffjumper asked his escort. “I need to have a private word with him.”

The bot saluted and walked away, heading for the last checkpoint they’d passed. Once he was sure the bot was out of hearing range, Cliffjumper turned back to the green mini.

“Wasp?” Cliffjumper ventured. “Wasp?” the bot kept rocking back and forth, mumbling to the wall. Cliffjumper leaned closer, trying to ignore the hum of the energon bars to hear what he was saying.

“…Bumble-bot. All Bumble-bot’s fault. Lies, lies, lies. Bumble-bot’s lies do this to Wasp. Wasp make Bumble-bot pay. Bumble-bot pay for lies….”

Cliffjumper worked hard to keep the shock off his faceplate. It’d been a few ano-cycles, but how could the bot be so…broken? already!? Deciding Bumblebee might get a better reaction, Cliffjumper spoke again. “Wasp…Bumblebee is gone…”

Wasp went stock still for a moment, before turning slowly and rasping out, “…WHAT?”

Cliffjumper gestured for the bot to come closer and spoke softly to make him lean in to listen. Wasp scuttled a little closer, servos wrapped tightly around his chest, as he explained, “Bumblebee and his crew were attacked by a Decepticon ship. A space bride malfunctioned in the area and both crews were lost. He and his crew have been declared dead Wasp…”

“NO! NO!” Wasp yelled suddenly, “Bumble-bot not dead! NO! Bumble-bot can’t be dead! NO! NO! NO! WASP WAS SUPPOSED TO DO IT! IT ALL BUMBLE-BOT’S FUALT! HE CAN’T JUST GET AWAY WITH RUINING WASP’S LIFE! NO!” He flailed his arms in a moment of rage, but instantly curled them back to his chest and crouched into a little ball on the ground.

Cliffjumper stared at the bot, frowning. Something was wrong, but he couldn’t place his finger on it. Wasp wouldn’t move his arms away from his chassis….it was like…like he was holding his own chest plates together…like they’d fall off if he didn’t hold them. “Wasp…move your servos.” Cliff said softly.

Wasp froze in his tracks and stared at him, his optics blinking oddly. “What?”

“Please” Cliffjumper amended, “put your servos down.”

The acid green minibot stared at his red counterpart like he’d suddenly sprung a second head. For an instant his hands shifted from his chassis, and a thin light shined out, only to be blocked again an instant later. But it was enough, Cliffjumper had seen it. Wasp actually _was_ holding his chest plates together. The latches were broken and probably twisted beyond simple repair if the light from his spark was shining through. That wasn’t the kind of damage one did to themselves.

Cliffjumper new first-hand how a chest plate was damaged like that. “Wasp…who hurt you…?” he gasped out.

The green minibot flinched violently. “Bumble-bot! Bumble-bot hurt Wasp! Bumble-bot frame Wasp!”

“No Wasp. I’m talking about your chest plate. Who forced your chest plate open?”

“NO ONE! Wasp fine! Wasp’s chest plate not broken!” he shouted, clutching his chest even tighter.

                “You don’t need to lie Wasp” Cliffjumper replied, softly, like how he cooed at Axletron when the sparkling had a nightmare.

“WASP NO LIE! BUMBLE-BOT LIE ABOUT WASP!”

“Ok, ok” Cliffjumper said calmly, making a note not to use the work lie. “I can help you Wasp. Just tell me. Who hurt you?”

“No…no…Wasp no talk, Wasp never tell…no” he said softly, turning his back on the red mini and ignoring all his calls after that.

More than a bit panicked, Cliffjumper moved to the third cell past Wasps’ where the possible Galvatron was. Only Cliffjumper could tell right away that it wasn’t him.

 Cliffjumper checked the cell number again, and the profile. The bot hadn’t been moved recently, and the identification number on the inmate’s shoulder plate linked him to the cell. It wasn’t Galvatron, but it _was_ someone Cliffjumper recognized.

He remembered the rust red and yellow paintjob. It wasDemolishor! If Cliffjumper could claim he had a rival with a Decepticons during the first war, it would be with this bot. Every time Cliffjumper would be allowed to battle, he’d go up against Demolishor. Demolishor had taken a lot of pleasure in pounding Autobots.  But they’d had been evenly matched, more or less, Cliffjumper making up with his lack of strength with his greater maneuverability and speed.

“Demolishor!?” Cliffjumper said in shock.

The handcuffed tank looked up, surprised to hear his name. It’d been a very long time since anyone had spoken to him, let along called him anything but his number. When he spotted the red minibot staring into his cell in awe, he couldn’t help but laugh! “Well, well, well. You’re probably the last bot I ever expected to see around here scraplet.” He said gruffly. He sounded horrible, like he had rust in his throat. “I thought you sounded familiar.” He added. He’d seen the mini walk by out of the corner of his optic, but he’d long stopped showing any interest in the visitors. He could admit he perked up a bit when the mini started talking with the other inmate though.

“You heard that?” Cliffjumper asked, still stunned at seeing the bot. Still, he managed to recall Longarm telling him the bot was a nut. It was one of the reasons they’d thought he could be Galvatron. Maybe that was why the bot was cuffed while still _inside_ his cell?

“Yup. Honestly never considered you for the type though…” Demolishor replied, testing his cuffs again. Yup…still working.

 “The type?”

“The bleeding spark.”

Cliffjumper scowled, crossing his arms over his chassis with a huff, “I’m not. Trust me, I couldn’t be happier that you scumbags are locked up…”

Demolishor started giggling, making Cliffjumper flinch at the screechy, odd sound. “buuuut?” Demolishor snickered. He wanted to roll around and laugh. He wanted to crash against his cell wall and dent and break and smash them with his laughs. He hadn’t felt so high since he’d gotten into fight in the courtyard and gotten shanked. The medical staff had had to keep him so sedated he couldn’t move at all. The stasis cuffs weren’t as nice as the drugs.

“…But even if you’re all a bunch of crankshafts…you’re still cybertronians, and like it or not, you have rights.” Cliffjumper grumbled out. “Since you heard everything, maybe you can answer my question, since Wasp can’t. Who hurt him?”

“Who hasn’t ‘ _hurt’_ him?” Demolishor responded. “Sweet bot like that? You really think a mini would last long in here?”

Cliffjumper vocalizer cracked as he asked his next question, knowing he’d regret the answer, “It’s happened more than once?”

“Course!” Demolishor said matter-a-factly.

Cliffjumper fell silent, staring at his peds. He had to do something about this. He looked up when Demolishor kept talking. “I never saw you during the final battles. Figured you’d kicked the bucket.”

“Transferred.” Cliffjumper said softly, mind still on Wasp. It had to be the guards. Possibly some of the administrators if they were turning a blind eye to it. He’d talk to Longarm as soon as he got out of the prison, but while he was here, he may as well try to get some info from Demolishor. The bot had been active during the first war until the very end according to what he’d just said. He could know what happened to Galvatron. “How’d you get caught anyway?” he asked, “You were always the slippery one.”

“Lingered too long on the back lines.” He replied, enjoying the conversation. One got so little of that around here, even from the other criminals. “Missed my flight” he added with a pout. “I was finally going to get off of Cybertron too.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Lord Galvatron and Lady Nova were all set to high tail it to Westenra. Not a prime vacation spot but at least there weren’t any Autobots.” He added with a crazed giggle.

“Lady Nova?” Cliffjumper asked suddenly. “Who’s Lady Nova?”

“Megatron’s mother.”

Cliffjumper blinked his optics rapidly. Megatron’s mother!? That meant that whoever this Nova bot was Galvatron’s mate!? “What!?”

“Very nice lady Nova. She took such good care of our Lord. And she made the yummiest energon jelly.”

“What happened to Lady Nova?” Cliffjumper asked with no small amount of worry. He’d never heard of the bot before and considering the research he’d done he didn’t think anyone else had either…Could that mean she was still alive? Could she possibly…still be with Galvatron?”

“I don’t know actually” Demolishor replied. “Couldn’t really keep in touch, you know” he said with a snicker, before he busted out laughing again, like it was all a big joke.

Cliffjumper suddenly realized that he might not be able to trust anything Demolishor just told him. The bot seemed to think everything was a joke and could have been fooling with him. Deciding not to waste any more time with the bot, Cliffjumper went through every other cell in the unit. All of them said the same thing; Wasp had been raped multiple times, but multiple bots. And Cliffjumper couldn’t help but wonder that if Demolishor had been honest about that, he might have been telling the truth about this Nova person too.

…

Meanwhile, back in his office back at the Metroplex, Shockwave had to keep himself from smashing his head onto his desk and clawing his antennae off.  A cruel mantra of curses flew from his vocalizer. “Scrap! Scrap! Scap!” this was _not_ part of the plan!

Shockwave had hacked the mini’s comm. units through his regular connection, creating a one-way link. They were on, so the Decepticon could hear everything the mini was saying, but the mini didn’t know they were on. So, on top of learning that Wasp was being sexually abused(!) he got to hear his plan go to scrap too!

Cliffjumper wasn’t supposed to actually know the bot! He was supposed to show his cards! He was supposed to ask an entirely different set of questions! And he was most certainly NOT supposed to be getting information from the bot! Demolishor had been a front lines bot. He’d been left behind during Galvatron’s flight from Cybertron. Shockwave had no idea Demolishor had any information on the warlord! “Scrap! Scrap! FRAGING PIT-SMELTING SCRAP!” AND WHAT KIND OF DECEPTICON HAS A FRIENDLY CONVERSATION WITH AN AUTOBOT, NO MATTER HOW NICE HE IS TO RAPE VICTIMS!?!?!?!

Shockwave let his arms stretch to the floor as his helm such to his desk. He was interrupted from his silent fury by his comm. beeping. It was Cliffjumper. Suppressing a groan, he activated the comm. link and answered with a cheerful but professional hello.

Cliffjumper’s voice filtered in :Longarm Prime:

:Cliffjumper! How was your visit to the stockades? Are you on your way back?: he asked, playing dumb. He knew the bot was still talking with loose-lipped Decepticons.

:I’m still here.:

:What? Why?:  He question lightly.

:Wasp’s been getting raped. In his single, locked cell.:

At least Shockwave would be able to do something about his anger over Wasp’s treatment. :…no…when you say ‘getting’:

:yes: Cliffjumper replied, : I mean multiple times:

:Oh no…:

:Do you know what this means?: Cliffjumper asked, from where he was leaning against the check point door by the exit, rubbing his horns to get rid of the strain.

Cliffjumper heard Longarm sigh heavily across the line. :A complete overhaul of the Stockades. We’re going to have to weed out every corrupt guard and administrator. What are the living conditions like? Up to standard?:

:Only just.: Cliffjumper replied with a heavy sigh. :It needs to be improved too. Half of the larger bots are on too-small rations and from what I’ve heard, aren’t let out of their cells too often.:

:…And the other prisoner you wanted to see?: Longarm asked, sounding hopeful though Shockwave just wanted to retch.

:Not who we thought he was.:

:…I see…alright. Return to base. We need to call a meeting with the rest of the council and alert them to the situation.:

:Yes Sir. Cliffjumper out:

Shockwave shut down his hack along with the call. There was nothing more to listen too. Cliffjumper had learned something very few bots knew. Megatron’s mother had been a secret to most of the Cybertronian race. Not even Shockwave, one of Megatron’s most loyal followers knew much about her, aside from the fact that she had been nurse to Lord Galvatron. But now Cliffjumper knew of her. And if it was one thing Shockwave had come to dread about the mini, it was his steadfast determination to hunt down everything his could about something. Something told him Lady Nova wouldn’t be a Decepticon secret for much longer.

**End Chapter 82**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Demolishor is from the Shattered Glass universe. 
> 
> Nova is krazifreak’s creation. Not laying ANY claim over her what so ever! We clear? Good.


	83. The Search for Nova

The deca-cycles following Cliffjumper’s visit to the stockades was a flurry of research and debate. Cliffjumper and Longarm Prime, along with a hand-picked team, spent their time going through every law and file that pertained to the Autobot prison system. To say they had a lot of work to do was an understatement. The laws had been formed during wartime, when resources were scarce and sparks bitter. Now that the energon crisis was over and peace had been a more or less constant, it was time for a change.  

The prison system didn’t fall under one specific division of the council, so no one really kept up its maintenance. Various bots from multiple divisions probably could have handled different parts of it, but as they mostly stuck to themselves, it didn’t do much. After Cliffjumper informed the council at large about what he’d seen and what happened to Wasp, they assigned the prison system’s reform to the Intel division, claiming once they had everything arranged, they’d form a new security division to deal with it specifically, from there afterwards.

Cliffjumper expected some backlash from the public; after all, criminal rights weren’t really a major topic of discussion, but he certainly never expected the support for the reforms received. Apparently, Pop Princess Rosanna whole-sparkedly approved of the idea and had a big pull on society. Funding poured in and not all from the government.

Longarm, who headed the team, added on more hands. Most Intel projects were put on hold, and efforts were diverted to investigate allegations of corruption in the prison staff. Agents even went undercover in other prisons to get a leg up on future targets. Shockwave enjoyed the irony that he was spying on the Autobots, by order of the Autobots to improve treatment of the prisoners, the majority of which were Decepticons.

Trypticon was their main goal. One of the first things they’d done was remodel the prison. They moved prisoners out division by division, shuffling them around like an odd game of fox and geese. They worked from high-security to low security, getting all the inmates checked over. Cliffjumper aided in the collection of testimonies. After a few nights in a different cell, the bots were returned to their remodeled cells, which were not only stronger and more energy efficient, but more comfortable as well. The bots had enough room to pace now.  The cells hadn’t been changed or remodeled since they were built, even in the face of improved technology. Looking at the energy bill from before the renovation to after had made more than one bot gap in surprise.

An almost entirely new prison staff was formed. Luckily, the corruption didn’t run as deep as they’d thought, but they’d aimed to have as many new faceplates as possible, keeping only those with the most experience and the least sleaze. Stealing a stylus from work was one thing, raping the inmates was another.

Cliffjumper was particularly proud to see that the bots responsible for the abuse of the inmates become inmates themselves. Wasp was receiving psychiatric care, but it didn’t seem to be helping. They’d been forced to sedate him just to fix his platting. A lot of the inmates had injures that had just been allowed to fester. Cliffjumper wished Ratchet was here, he’d have given those lousy medical bots a piece of his mind.

One of the most popular concepts came from Axletron, who suggested a new library and helped with packing the data-pads to ship over when Cliffjumper and Longarm had to stay late to work. Though Longarm and Cliff were still friendly, Cliffjumper didn’t forget his slip with the bot and played things much closer to the vest, actively avoiding any topics that could lead to questions about Galvatron. Luckily, Longarm had promised not to speak about him around Axletron, so most nights he was safe. Sadly, ‘most’ was not all.

“Are you still researching Galvatron?” Longarm Prime asked one afternoon, before Axletron was scheduled to be dropped off.

“What?” Cliffjumper asked as rubbed his optics wearily as he looked away from the supply lists he was checking.

“Galvatron? Making any leeway in your research?” Longarm asked again, leaning back against his desk.

“Oh, sorry, no, not really.” Cliffjumper replied casually with a yawn. He was tired. “I’m at a bit of a dead end, and with the prison reforms I haven’t had much time to look for more leads.” He was especially avoiding the archives, since the records of his visits were what pinned him last time.

“I understand.” Longarm replied knowingly. “Still, let me know if you need any help.”

“Thanks, Longarm. I will” Cliffjumper said him with a grin. “For now, you mind going through the new security measures? I want to send them off for approval before we head out.”

“Sure.”

As they fell back into their work, Cliffjumper tried his best to hide his guilt, and Shockwave worked hard to hide his confusion and more importantly, his anger. Shockwave had learned nothing from showing his hand to the mini. The most beneficial things to come about were the reforms and while he didn’t doubt Lord Megatron would be please, Shockwave would rather have succeeded at something pertaining to his mission! Instead, he’d lost the trust he’d worked to garner with Cliffjumper. The mini was more careful now. What’s more, if Cliffjumper _was_ doing research, he was being much more careful about it. Shockwave hadn’t been able to trace anything to him…yet. It seemed he would have to bid his time and draw Cliffjumper back into trusting him. In the meantime, he could focus on making sure Axletron didn’t become a blind drone with nothing but Autobot heresy in his processor.

The Decepticon spy was right to think Cliffjumper was continuing his research behind his back. After such a big clue, one couldn’t really expect him to sit back and ignore it. Cliffjumper was researching a new lead: Nova. During his subsequent visits to the prison, he’d been able to confirm that Nova had been Galvatron’s nurse. Demolishor had told him that they’d met when Galvatron had been injured during a battle. Nova had been the first to reach him and had been able to calm him down from one of his episodes, something no one else had been able to do.  Sadly, Demolishor had started giggling like mad about a parasol soon after that and hadn’t been able to say anymore.

Wanting to avoid another incident like Longarm however, Cliffjumper started keeping his digital research on a private and blocked datapad. Though desperate for more information, Cliffjumper avoided returning to the Archives. He doubted he’d find anything there anyway. After some thought, Cliffjumper instead went to the public medical office database. It had been established a few vorns after the Second War, when the population was at an all-time low and fake doctors abounded. Rather than waste time and resources they didn’t have, the council collected records about basically every certified medical professional and made it public record. To keep anyone from adopting their identities, they went back to before the First War. Since it was open to the public, it was possible to log in from everywhere.

If Nova had been a nurse, then she’d had to have had medical training. Cliffjumper seriously doubted the Decepticons would let a bot without training take care of their Lord, no matter how good she was at calming him down.

The first time Cliffjumper searched the site, he came up with 3,754 Nova’s or bots with Nova in their name, in the entire database from its earliest records. Apparently, the name had gotten popular after some band grew in prominence after the First War. Praying it wasn’t a nickname, Cliffjumper narrowed his search to the 576 plain old Novas.

After that, he eliminated those that hadn’t been born until after the Second War, leaving him with 237. Then, Cliffjumper thanked primus above the files came with holo-images. Since Megatron was a sparkling born from the All Spark and his parent’s codes, Cliffjumper was able to eliminate most of the candidates based on looks alone. That left him with 122 femmes. Out of those femmes, 38 had studied psychology in addition to their medical training. Cliffjumper couldn’t be completely sure that Nova studied psychology, but it certainly wouldn’t have hurt with Galvatron in the state he was in. So he decided to focus on those 38 femmes first, and if they didn’t fit, work his way outwards.

He knocked out 13 from being deceased before the First War, and another 11 that weren’t certified until after its end. That only left 14 femmes to research and hunt down.

It took him almost a deca-cycle, working whenever he had a spare klik, to narrow it down to 4 femmes for his first attempts at contact. All of them had been born before the First war. They’d all had medical and psychology training, and any of them could have made a sparkling that looked like Megatron.

When he finally had all of his research he was hesitant to take the next step.  It was a certainly a very risky move, actually talking to these femmes.  He was after all, one of the Autobots. All of the femmes were civilians. Civilians didn’t take to being questioned without reason very well. And if one of them had helped make Megatron… they ran the risk of being tried as a war criminal, just like Cliffjumper did if anyone found out he’d willingly bonded with Galvatron.  Unable to decide which one to approach first, he left it in fate’s hand…which basically meant he’d called Axletron into his office and asked the sparkling to pull a number out of a bucket.

The Nova the sparkling selected bore a huge resemblance to Megatron, perhaps a bit more than the others, though it was arguable. Her shoulder plates, while smaller, were similar in shape to Megatron’s and she had the same gunmetal grey and burgundy plating, though her secondary hue was pink instead of black. Still, Megatron, like Axletron, seemed to have taken his mother’s paint colors, since there wasn’t any purple on Megatron…well, except for the Decepticon brand.

The first Nova, as Cliffjumper decided to call her, had gone to Praxus Medical School. The photo on her profile was from a news article. She and her best friend had won some kind of award for their study in emotional attachments. Her record was blank for a number of years during the Wars, but that wasn’t unusual, especially if she’d remained a neutral. Neutrals had either gone underground of gone off planet when the wars broke out. Whatever happened in that time, she returned to Cybertron shortly after the Second War, around the time Galvatron had moved deeper into space.

Then a note caught his optic. This Nova, the first, had passed away…a few vorns before the start of the Second War. For a cruel moment Cliffjumper wondered if this was some cosmic joke about Axletron’s luck. It was just like Karn, the planet Axletron picked when Cliffjumper was looking for a spot to start his search for Galvatron within the Decepticon Empire. First the planet had been destroyed and now Nova had moved onto the well. It was much more difficult to look for Nova than it had been to look for Megatron. Megatron he could track through sparkling products, and follow Galvatron along, but he had no idea where Nova was, and it wasn’t like a femme needed any more or less than any other bot. Wondering if he should just move onto the next Nova, he noticed that she was survived by her wife, Vespasol.

What’s more…the femme lived in Iacon, just beyond the Metroplex’s walls. Deciding to take a chance, he activated the communicator on his desk and dialed her number.

End Chapter 83 


	84. Words from the Spark

Cliff sat down in front of the communicator and dialed the number. Communicators like this were typically only used to reach those out of comm. range, but he couldn’t risk using his public comm. link since it could be monitored by his superiors and he didn’t want to risk confusing or scaring the femme with a private number. That, and something like this required face-to-face contact.

It rang twice before someone answered on the other line. A petite purple bot with silver highlights filled the screen.  ‘Hello? This is Vespasol.”

Sitting up straight, Cliffjumper greeted the femme cordially, “Hello Vespasol. This is Cliffjumper. I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about your wife, Nova?”  The minibot forced himself not to flinch. He hadn’t meant to sound like he was interviewing an applicant for the Intel department. He sounded like Perceptor, only more uncertain. 

On the screen, Vaspasol’s mouth had fallen open in a gasp and she looked like she’d half gotten out of her chair. She blinked rapidly at him. Silence ticked on for a micro-click. “Hello?” Cliffjumper asked worriedly.  Was there something wrong with the connection or had he just caught her off guard with his request?

The purple bot shook her head to wake herself up. “Sorry…you said your name was Cliffjumper?” Vespasol asked, a slight tremor in her voice.

Cliffjumper nodded, “Yes ma’am.”

After another moment of thick silence, Vespasol sat back heavily in her chair. “I see…how about you come over for tea this evening, around 8? Can you make it?” she asked suddenly.

“…uh...Sure, yes, I can make it…” Cliffjumper replied bewilderedly. He’d have to ask Hound if he could babysit.

“Wonderful…perfect…I’ll see you then!” Vespasol replied quickly, typing at her a desk.  “I’m sure we have a lot to talk about!”

The call shut off with a click, leaving a very confused Cliffjumper staring at the screen. He got the distinct feeling that he was missing something. Whatever it was, hopefully he’d figure it out tonight. For now, he had to go beg Hound and Mirage to babysit Axletron.

…

That evening, after an early dinner with Mirage, Hound and Axletron, where he’d shocked Mirage into silence when the noble realized Cliffjumper had cooked the meal himself, he headed off base.

…

Vespasol’s home wasn’t far from the Metroplex, a mere nano-cycle from the city’s main shopping center and Vespasol’s practice. She and Nova had been retired and lived together in a large house on the outskirts of the city, but after Nova had passed, Vespasol couldn’t bear to live at their larger home without her, so she moved into the city and restarted her practice so that she would have something to do.

That night, around 7:45, she sat at her kitchen table getting everything ready, wondering what the Pit she was going to say to the minibot. She knew perfectly well who he was, even if he had no clue who she was, and what Nova had been. He’d found them, somehow. He was late, yes, but considering the fact that Vespasol had basically never expected him to show up, it was nothing short of a miracle.

A soft knock at the door drew Vespasol out of her thoughts. It was time. Taking a bracing breath, she opened the door and finally saw the red minibot in person. He was short, structurally little different from the many other minibots out in the universe. His horns seemed a bit too large for his head, but his optics were bright…and weary.

 “Hello” he greeted, “I’m Cliffjumper. We spoke earlier?”

Vespasol couldn’t help but smile at the boy’s nervousness. “Yes! Hi, come on in Cliffjumper.” She said quickly, drawing the mini into her house. She towered over him, but she figured most bots did. Leading him to her living room, she made him take a seat on the poufy teal sofa while she grabbed the energon tea.  

When they were settled in and Cliffjumper was nursing a cup from his awkward perch on the edge of the sofa, Vespasol couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit of amusement at the fact that Cliffjumper’s peds didn’t reach the floor. Preparing her own cup, Vespasol decided to start them off. “I have to admit, I never expected you to actually show up.”

Cliffjumper blinked, hundreds of thoughts flooding through his processor. Had this been a trick? A prank? A trap out of his nightmares?  Sipping some tea to force the lump in his throat down, he asked, “You mean today?”

“I meant _ever_.”

“I don’t understand.” Cliffjumper admitted with a frown.

Vespasol nodded. “I don’t suppose you would. But I’ll give you a hint.…Why do you think I let you come here and talk to me…? Random Autobot calling me out of the blue asking about my deceased spark mate…”

 “I honestly have no idea.” Cliffjumper replied, shaking his head.

“It’s actually pretty simple. You’re _not_ some random Autobot. I know _who_ you are. And what’s more, I know _why_ you’re here. You’re searching for Nova.”

“I’m searching for _a_ Nova yes—”Cliffjumper said softly, before Vespasol interrupted.

 “The Nova you’ve been looking for is _my_ Nova.” Vespasol took a sip of her tea before matter-a-factly adding, “The Nova that helped Galvatron produce Megatron.”

Cliffjumper nearly spilt his tea on Vespasol’s couch. He only remembered to pull his cup up at the last moment, letting the hot energon fall in his saucer instead. He stared at his host with no small amount of shock as she smirked and handed him a napkin before continuing. “Now, I bet you’re wondering how I know that. I mean, we’ve never official met before have we?”

Cliffjumper could only stutter dumbly, “…I…I…”

Vespasol let out a giggle. “I suppose I’ve tortured you enough.”  She said finally. “You see Cliffjumper, you may not know much about me or Nova, but we’ve known about you for eons. Nova was Galvatron’s doctor as much as she was his friend, if not more so. He told her about what he saw when he had a bad day. He told her what he felt guilty about. He told her everything. And she told me a lot of what he told her…. She told me Galvatron’s ghost was a red minibot named Cliffjumper.”  Here she paused to drink some more tea and gesture at Cliffjumper, “Now, you’re not the first red minibot I’ve seen, but you are the only Cliffjumper I’ve ever met.”

Considering Cliffjumper had spent the last few mega-cycles looking for _one_ femme, he was more than doubtful that his parents had been creative with his name, “Seriously?” 

“Oh, I’m sure there are some out there, but none of them have ever come looking. I’ve met some close ones, Cliffhanger, Cliff-Climber, Bungie-Jumper. But no other red minibots named Cliffjumper.” Vespasol replied with a teasing smile. “Now, I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but so do I, so how about you let me tell you what I know and then we can switch, deal?”

“…alright…” Cliffjumper agreed with no small amount of worry. This interview was so not going the way he planned.

“Great!” Vespasol replied. “Well, I might as well start at the beginning. Nova and I grew up together. Our parents were best friends; we were neighbors our entire lives, school mates all through medical school. Which is how I’m guessing you found us?”

Cliffjumper nodded.

“Well, I guess those open records were good for something.  Anyway, when the war broke out, we stuck together, moving from one refugee camp to another, offering help where we could.  Once, there was a battle going on nearby and we were helping evacuate a neutral camp. We heard a loud boom and Galvatron literally crashed into our lives. He’d been struck by a cannon or something while in the air and had been forced off-course. Amazingly enough he was unharmed, if a bit disoriented, hardly a dent in his armor. But his mind was a different story. I studied physical medicine, Nova studied that and psychology. She helped people deal with their feelings and she saw right away that Galvatron was…well…damaged.

“You couldn’t keep her away after that. She stuck to him like glue, helped calm him down when he went on rampages, had sessions with him…and essentially got pulled into the Decepticon inner circle…. When Galvatron planned to leave the planet once and for all, he asked her to come with him.” Vespasol paused to look down into her teacup.  “I didn’t want her to go. I begged her not to. But she couldn’t bring herself to stay. She said Galvatron was her patient and her friend and he needed her. She couldn’t abandon him. So she went…and I stayed, waiting for her to come back to me.”

“…to you?” Cliffjumper asked softly. He didn’t really know anything about Nova aside from what was on her file. He knew she returned to Cybertron, but he didn’t know it was for this femme.

Vespasol smiled, “Yes.”

Cliffjumper vocalizer cracked as he softly asked, “…but didn’t…didn’t she love him? Galvatron I mean…”

Vespasol shared a sad look with the minibot, all doubts about the bot fleeing her processor. Knowing the situation as she did, she had a lot of theories about why the minibot would look for them. She could admit, that from what she’d learned of his personality, revenge was the more likely option. “Of course she did, but…not the way you’re thinking.” She said, noticing the mini’s flinch. “She loved him like one loves their best friend. She loved him enough to stay with him and donate her code to conceive Megatron, but…not the way she loved me. That’s why she didn’t stay.” Vespasol explained softly. She took in the mini on her sofa. He was frowning into his tea, hunched into himself. With a soft smile, she added, “…And I don’t think he loved her like that either…”

Cliffjumper blinked and looked up at her, frowning, but with the slightest glimmer of hope in his optics. “What? Why would you say that?” he asked frantically. He couldn’t deny the direction his thoughts were going. Even if Nova didn’t love Galvatron romantically, that didn’t mean Galvatron didn’t have feelings for _her_.

“Because he never forgot you.”

The mini could only stare at the purple femme in surprise. He wanted to believe what she said, he wanted to believe it with all his spark. But that was a selfish wish, and one he couldn’t allow himself to indulge in. He could keep on loving Galvatron, but part of him had hoped his lover had moved on and…recovered. When he’d first heard of Megatron, he thought the purple Warlord had found someone else. And now, here was that someone else’s wife saying it wasn’t true. What was he supposed to believe? What was he supposed to say?

Vespasol, seeming to recognize his conflict, put down her teacup on the coffee table and stood up, “I have something for you. But first I need you to answer a question.”

“What is it?” Cliffjumper asked softly, placing his own teacup down.

Vespasol looked him dead in the eye and asked “What was his name?”

Cliffjumper frowned only for a moment. “…Axle. He told me his name was Axle.”

Nodding, a smile booming on her faceplate, Vespasol went to her bedroom and pulled out a heavily encoded lockbox. Bringing it back with her into the living room she placed it next to her on the sofa and unlocked it. She opened the box and pulled out a letter, made from actual paper! It looked worn and fragile. “Hopefully, _this_ will help you believe me.”

He took it gently. His name was written on the envelope flap in elegant cybertronian glyphs. Opening the seal slowly he pulled out the folded letter, yellow with age.

 

_Dear Cliffjumper,_

_I’m sorry I wasn’t able to give you this in person, but I trust my Vespasol to do so in my place._

_My name is Nova._

_I was Galvatron’s psychologist, nurse and most importantly, his friend. He told me a lot about you, things I don’t think he’s told anyone else, and that I’ve only ever shared with Vespasol._

_I admit I thought your story tragic when I first heard it. Some days I still wonder at all the ways it could have turned out differently for you two, though I know the futility of such thoughts. You and Galvatron had something I have been lucky enough to experience personally: love. A love no one can ever hope to replace or replicate. From the time I’ve spent with Galvatron, I can tell you, with the greatest possible level of assurance, that you will_ always _have a place in his spark, just like I hope he has a place in yours._

_He thought about you constantly, Cliffjumper, even though he believed you and your sparkling had gone on to The Well. I have little doubt, that if he is alive, he still thinks about you every cycle._

_I did not want to believe you were dead, when he had told me what happened._

_So I decided not to believe it, until I was irrefutably proven otherwise._

_I have yet to be proven wrong. After all, it is a very big universe and just because I have not met you, does not mean you are not out there. I’m afraid Galvatron was too guilt-ridden and spark broken to feel the same however, so I believe for him as well._

_I admit, there is no proof that you will ever receive this letter. There was never any hint that you weren’t dead. And if you’d survived, there is no guarantee that you would forgive Galvatron for what he did._

_If you are reading this, I can only say that I have never been so glad to see logic proven wrong, and I must ask you a great favor._

_I know only Galvatron’s side of the story and am witness only to his sufferings. As such, I ask the favor for him. Please forgive him Cliffjumper. Sometimes, he is so broken with guilt he cannot sleep or eat, and he hurts himself in the cruelest ways for atonement. In hurting you, he dealt himself a painful, deadly blow, one that has been growing ever since, eating away at him._

_If you are there Cliffjumper, than you have proven that against all odds, you survived and you searched for answers and you searched for_ him _. I ask is that you keep faith Cliffjumper. Just as you are here today, reading this letter, despite the astronomical odds saying otherwise, somewhere out there Galvatron is still suffering, waiting for you to heal him. Keep looking Cliffjumper, until you find the irrefutably proof that says otherwise. The proof I never found._

_Find him Cliffjumper. He needs you._

_Best of luck,_

_Nova_

Cliffjumper swallowed thickly. His spark constricted with feeling. Hope flooded into him, making him feel light and alive, despite the late hour. How could one bot, a bot he’d never met, inspire such feelings?

“What happened to her?” Cliffjumper asked softly.

Vespasol sighed sadly. “Her spark chamber hadn’t been properly cleansed before it was inserted into her body. When the spark entered it, it activated a slow growing rust mold that moved throughout her chest cavity. When she’d fully matured, it started to disintegrate her chamber plating. There was no way to remove it without extinguishing her spark and it was impossible to remove her spark without triggering the rust and making it move faster. She learned of her condition a few deca-cycles after Megatron had been born. It’s what prompted her return. She wanted to spend what was left of her life with me….” Vespasol wiped away a few tears from her optics.

“…Does…does Megatron know?” Cliffjumper asked softly. He would want Axletron to know if he’d died…Megatron deserved the same closure. She was the sparkling’s mother after all. Nova was a part of his code.

“… She kept in touch with Megatron for as long as she could. But she passed away before he was little more than a youngling…I honestly don’t know if he remembers her…” Vespasol replied sadly.  Turning away, she dug into the lockbox once more and out a pad. She took a deep breath before passing it to Cliffjumper, who activated it with shaking servos.

It was a scan of a letter in even worse condition than Nova’s. It was obviously much older. So old, the paper had disintegrated with age. Nova had scanned it before it vanished forever.

_Dear Cliffjumper,_

_I’m writing this to please Nova, my psychologist. She told me to write down everything I wanted to say to you. Everything I never had the chance to say when you were still alive and not just the ghost I see. I don’t think I can do that, since there was a lifetime’s worth of words left unspoken, but I will try._

_Well…I should start by saying…I’m sorry. I’m so,_ so _sorry for what I did. I regret it every day. Every morning when I wake up, guilt is the first thing I feel. The thought of what I did to you, how I hurt you, sits on me like a cloak I can’t take off. It’s a thick fog in my processor._

_I often think that it would have been better if we’d never met. If I’d told you my real name that day we met in that building, would you have shot me? I think you would have. I know I would have shot you if our positions had been reversed. That kills me. To think I could have killed the love of my life without a second thought…without a moment’s hesitation._

_It may have been a more merciful end.  I’m sorry I’m so selfish. I was so alone before I’d met you. And after I lost you, that loneliness filled me like never before. I didn’t know what it was to be alone until you weren’t there to make me feel like I belonged. I still feel alone sometimes, hollow. No one can fill in the space you left behind._

_I have a son now. His name is Megatron. Nova donated her code to help forge him. He helps me. I want to get better for him, though sometimes he makes me think about our sparkling. I think Megatron would have liked a brother. What would our sparkling have been like? Would he have had my charm? I like to think he would have gotten your optics. Would he and Megatron had gotten along? It hurts to imagine what a family with you would have been like, but I can’t help it._

_I still see you. Nova says that I’m not seeing the_ real _you, but a you I’ve invented to ease my guilt, or punish myself for what I did. She may be right, but it’s difficult to consider those things when your mind and spark don’t want to believe it. It’s a double edged sword seeing you the way I do. You keep the loneliness at bay, yet you cut into me with a bitterness I can’t help but think looks wrong on you, even if I don’t deserve anything else. I can see you…I can hear you… yet you’re not actually there…I can’t touch you or hold you like I did before. I can’t feel your engine under your plating, I can’t kiss you…I miss you Cliffjumper._

_I know you don’t have any reason to believe me. But I love you. Even now, even though I don’t deserve you. I love you Cliffjumper. And even though I ruined it, I can’t bring myself to regret making you love me too. Because knowing you loved me, even for a moment…was the most wonderful feeling I’d ever experienced. I love you Cliffjumper. I don’t think I’ll ever see you again, since I’m sure I’m headed to the Pit with Unicron, but I hope, someday, you and our sparkling can forgive me._

_Love, ~~Axle~~ Galvatron_

Cliffjumper didn’t even realize he was crying until Vespasol handed him a tissue. She’d stood up and moved towards him when he’d put the pad down. He stared at it for a moment, wondering why it was blurry until felt the tears hit his chassis. “Sorry” he choked out.

Vespasol pulled him into a hug, “Now don’t you apologize for crying. There’s nothing wrong with it.”

“Sorry…” Cliffjumper said again, letting out a laugh that sounded vaguely like a sob. “…Can you tell me more? About how they met?”  He asked shakily, desperate for a distraction. If he didn’t think about something else, he’d cry himself into a stupor on Vespasol’s sofa.

Vespasol smiled and nodded, returning to her seat after giving the mini another comforting pat on the shoulder. “After Galvatron crashed down into our camp as we were evacuating, Nova and I ran to see if he was alright. He stood up, glared us back and started search for his weapon. It’d landed near Nova’s tent. Now Nova had a parasol, a lovely lace umbrella she used to keep her paint from getting too warm in the sun, as darker paintjobs are kind to do.” Vespasol spoke with a smile, picking up the teacups and refilling them from the still warm teapot. “She had a thing about them. She loved them and she got most of them from me.” She added proudly. “Her favorite was a grey one with a chain of flower around the rim, laced edges and a pink handle. I’d given it to her for her first birthday after we bonded.”

“You were bonded?” Cliffjumper blurted out. Before realizing what he’d said and blushing bright red, “sorry, I didn’t mean—”

Vespasol just laughed, “Yes, we were bonded. It happened after we’d graduated from medical school. Now, let me see….oh yes! When we became neutrals and started going from camp to camp, she’d only kept that one parasol. And while we were evacuating, she’d left it by her tent. Unfortunately, Galvatron’s cannon had landed right next to it. They both ran for their stuff at the same time. Galvatron probably figured she was heading for the cannon, so when she grabbed the parasol it sort of threw him for a loop.

“‘Why in the world would you grab the parasol!?’ he shouted. ‘Do you want to die!?’

“And she yelled right back, ‘This parasol is important to me! I’m not going to stand back and watch it get destroyed!’

“They yelled back and forth for a while, me frantically trying to get her to stop, but once she got on a roll…you can only imagine.  For some reason Galvatron started yelling at nothing. Nova, realizing he was having a psychotic episode, started looking where Galvatron was looking and said, ‘Do you mind? We’re having a private argument here!’

“Naturally she didn’t get an answer, but it made Galvatron think she could see the ghost.  He turned to look at her and look back to where the ghost was but it seemed to have vanished, since he couldn’t find it. Nova then asked Galvatron, ‘who was that? I couldn’t see who you were talking too.’

“That was the first time she helped him understand that what he was seeing wasn’t real. Going untreated for so long, he’d come to accept his visions as truth. By having someone there, who knew what he was seeing, but not being able to see it, reminded him of that fact and gave him an anchor to reality. He couldn’t trust his own mind, but he could trust Nova’s. And as they had more sessions, he was able to regain some of his control. I don’t know how well he continued her methods after she left, but I know he managed to hold it together for Megatron.” Vespasol took a deep sip of her tea. “Now, it’s your turn.” Vespasol said with a firm look. “What happened to you, that you were actually able to make it here today?”

Cliffjumper nodded. “You probably already know that Galvatron attacked me to hide my pregnancy.” The mini paused as Vespasol nodded. “When I woke up afterwards, Autobot command had come up with a plan to keep me and sparkling alive till the end of the war. Everyone was lead to believe I’d died, but I was actually put into stasis. I’ve actually only been awake again for less than a giga-cycle.”

Vespasol put her cup to the side to clasp her hands together as though in prayer, “…you mean the sparkling…”

Cliffjumper smiled softly, “In bed by now, if his babysitters know what’s good for them.”

A smile practically split the purple femme’s face in two. “He? It’s a boy? What’s his name?”

Cliffjumper cradled the letter from Galvatron across his chassis. “I named him Axletron.”

Vespasol suddenly looked like she was about to cry, “That’s…Oh that’s wonderful! Nova would be so SO glad to hear that!”  Vespasol suddenly gasped, and placed her servos on either side of her faceplate, “That means Megatron has a brother!”

“Yes, though he doesn’t know it. No one outside of Autobot command and some of my friends even know Axletron exists.”

“Why?”

“He resembles his father.”

After a look of confusion, understanding flooded into Vespasol’s face, “Oh! No, I suppose most people wouldn’t take well to a Megatron look alike wandering through town…”

“Sadly, no. Still, all secrets come out eventually. I’m sure Megatron and Axletron will meet someday.”

Vespasol nodded in agreement, before perking up, as though struck by an idea. “Yes…yes I think you right! In that case, I wonder…if I could maybe ask you a favor, not just for me, but for Nova too.”

“What is it?” Cliffjumper asked, though it was mostly out of habit. He couldn’t imagine denying the femme anything, after all she’d given him tonight.

“Well. Nova wrote a lot of letters when she felt the Well calling her. To you, to me, to her friends…and to Megatron. Now that you’ve got yours, he’s the only letter that I still need to deliver, but I’ve never been able to get into contact with him…and I don’t have the resources you do…”

“You want me to deliver it?” Cliffjumper asked a bit awkwardly. He knew this wasn’t an easy task. Megatron had gone missing at the same time Optimus and his crew had vanished. He could be dead…but then again, Cliffjumper was thought to be dead by Nova and Vespasol…and Galvatron, yet here he was. Maybe…maybe the warlord was still kicking…maybe Optimus and his crew was still alive out there…somewhere…it was, as Nova had said, a very big universe after all.

“Please?” Vespasol pleaded softly,  “It would mean so much to me…to Nova. I can’t help but think that you’ll meet up with him someday. Actually, after seeing you, I can hardly deny the possibilities of anything! ”

Cliffjumper blinked rapidly, before speaking with a deliberately firm nod, “…Yes. Yes, of course I’ll do it.”

Vespasol jumped up and gave the mini a frame-crunching hug after that. Megatron’s letter had weighed heavy on her processor for years, especially recently. She had faith in this mini that somehow had tracked them down, though. If anyone could get the letter to Megatron, it was him. The Well had been calling her for a while now, but she’d been putting up a fight for those letters. Now, she could let go too.

As Cliffjumper drove back home that evening, Vespasol’s locked and coded treasure box firmly in his subspace, his process was abuzz with hope and possibilities. Nova had believed in him being alive and Cliff had just proven Nova right…maybe she was right about Galvatron too?

…

A few micro cycles later, Vespasol’s door was knocked on. 

Wondering who on Cybertron could be calling on her at such a late hour, Vespasol dragged herself away from her reading pad and opened the door. The bot that loomed in her doorway was a tall and boxily built crane. She recognized him from the television instantly. “Longarm Prime. To what do I owe this unexpected visit?”

Longarm shuffled awkwardly on his peds. “I’m sorry for barging in so late, but one of my…friends was here earlier. I wondered if everything was alright...”

“Wouldn’t it be better to ask him that directly?” Vespasol asked with a frown. This was Cliffjumper’s superior?

“He’s often unwilling to give an honest answer about his well-being. He’s a very stubborn minibot.” Longarm replied with a blush. In the secrecy of his own mind, Shockwave basically spat the words out. Cliffjumper _was_ a stubborn mini-bot, _too_ stubborn for his own good.

Vespasol smirked, “I noticed. Well, nothing you need to worry about.”

“Are you sure? He’s been under a lot of stress lately…”

“If you think he’s overworking himself, give him a day off. From what I’ve seen however, he’s perfectly fine.” Vespasol insisted, “and I’m a medic, so I’m pretty qualified to make that assessment. Now, it’s rather late, so I must say good night. Have a pleasant evening, Longarm prime.”

Longarm had enough presence of mind to say “thank you” before the door shut in his face.

Shockwave was at a loss. Now what was the minibot up to? He’d come to this femme’s—Vespasol—home for no obvious reason. It was surely too casual for a medical check up, not to mention that Perceptor and Wheeljack took care of that for the mini and his son. Shockwave knew the femme had a wife named Nova, but there were thousands of Novas on Cybertron, nevermind the universe. Did the mini seriously intend to interview them one by one? Was he mad?

Filled with confusion and disappointment, Shockwave returned home. It was times like these he really missed his Lord’s guidance. Wherever his master was, Shockwave hoped he was having better luck than he was.

…

A mega-cycle later, Vespasol passed away during recharge. Her mission completed, she could finally join her Nova in the Well of All Sparks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I’m kind of seeing Nova as a surrogate mother here. Love yes, romantic love no. Just to clarify.


	85. Too Soon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more years have passed. Axletron is now seven.

**_2 ano-cycles later_ **

It did not take long for Shockwave to realize that he’d gotten too enthusiastic and burned the bridge between Cliffjumper and himself. At first, Shockwave wondered if he should confront the mini directly and bluntly question his loyalties. But seeing how well such a confrontation went last time, he was more than hesitant about the idea. In addition to that, the mini wasn’t exactly being open about anything with him anymore.

His telling the minibot that he’d essentially snooped around in his business had made the mini pull up a wall between them. A very thick wall the Shockwave repeatedly, and with growing frustration, bashed heads with.  He no longer had any idea how the minibot was fairing with his search for Galvatron, aside from the fact that it was progressing. On top of that, he’d managed to tip the mini off to his spying game, and apparently, all of those mandatory Autobot Intel espionage classes were not wasted on the mini. He’d been unable to maintain a hack, insert a bug, or even overhear a conversation! The smallest hint of an audience sent Cliffjumper on high alert, even a faulty light bulb set the mini on paranoid mode.

Seeing that Cliffjumper was no longer an open book, Shockwave turned his sights to Axletron. Luckily, sparklings were just so eager to talk and so open to…suggestions. Unfortunately, they were that way with everyone. Shockwave had to play his cards right, or the sparkling would blab to his mother that “Uncle Longarm” was asking odd questions.

So he took sparkling steps. For two ano-cycles he planted miniscule seeds of doubt and concern in the sparkling’s processor, while his hot-headed mother scoured the universe for the sparkling’s wayward father.  Small comments on the importance of coding, a classic family ideal, siblings and a million other things filtered into every conversation with the sparkling, though never within his mother’s audio range.

His small seeds grew to culmination one night when a seven ano-cycle old Axletron looked up from his dessert and softly asked, “Mom?”

“Yes? What’s up Axletron?” Cliffjumper asked as he finished drying the plates from dinner. He turned to look at the sparkling and frowned in confusion. Axel still had some of his energon pie left on his plate. That was odd for the sweet tooth. He never spoke when he had sugar in front of him.

“Why don’t I have a Dad?” Axletron asked, poking his pie with his fork nervously, gaze shifted firmly to the plate.

Cliffjumper blinked, processor trying to jump start. “What?”

“I learned that organics need both a mom and a dad to be born. And I know sparklings do too. But I don’t have a dad…so how was I born?” Axletron explained and Cliffjumper frantically wondered if he was justified in punching Hound, since that was most likely where Axletron had learned about organics families, and how he would explain it to Mirage that he’d throttled his spark-mate because he put ideas into his sparkling’s processor that made him ask uncomfortable questions. Questions Cliffjumper wasn’t ready to answer.

The mini knew they were coming. He knew that someday, the sparkling would get curious. But he’d hopped that maybe…when that finally happened, Cliffjumper would be able to offer him something solid. Though his search for Galvatron had progressed fairly far in the last two years, partially thanks to all of the interviews he had with the Decepticons prisoners during the prison reform, it wasn’t like he knew where Galvatron was exactly. He’d managed to narrow down his scope of the planets in the Decepticon Empire to four planets, but there was always a chance that Cliffjumper had been following a wild turbo-goose around the universe.

On top of that, Axletron was still young. Under the careful optic of his mother and his teaches, he couldn’t keep a secret as important as this. So Cliffjumper had to lie to his _son_.

“…You did have a dad.” Cliffjumper answered slowly, trying to think of a way to get himself out of this situation, trying to keep his breathing calm. Oh Primus, he may have expected this, but not so soon!

Axletron, completely unaware of his mother’s inner turmoil, surged in his seat, dropping his fork with a clatter on the table as he hurried to ask, “Who is he? Where is he? What’s he like...?” Then the sparkling grew silent and looked around before asking softly, “…Why isn’t he here with us?”

 “Um…I don’t actually know where he is…” Cliffjumper said softly, looking desperately for a way out. His servos gripped the edge of the sink to stop the shaking.

“Who is he?” Axletron asked excitedly.

Cliffjumper swallowed thickly. He felt dizzy. “…He…ah…He was a bit of a mysterious bot at the time.” He replied, forcing himself to pick up another plate and dry it. He felt cold, unstable, like the ocean was pushing against him.

The sparkling simply hopped up and down in his chair, making the table clank steadily against the floor, like an odd tick. “Is he a spy like Blurr or Mirage? Is that why we never get to see him?” Axletron asked, “Or is he an explorer like Uncle Cosmos? Is he on other planets!? That would be so cool! Oh! Oh! Is he a warrior? Is he fighting Deceptions like Gramps Kup used to? Does he–”

Thinking he was going to faint, the edges of his vision getting blurry, Cliffjumper shouted, “Enough!” He slammed the plate down on the counter, almost making Axle bite his tongue in surprise. After taking a quick, bracing breath, Cliffjumper curled his shaking fists into his chassis for a moment.

“S-Sorry…I- I didn’t mean to snap.” Cliff said after a moment, moving to rub the edges of the plate…it was cracked now. He turned around to face Axle and said with a heavy sigh, rubbing his optics, trying to stop the shaking. “It’s just…he…he doesn’t matter.” He said finally, his voice cracking at the end, but he pushed on. “He doesn’t have anything to do with either of us anymore…”

Cliffjumper felt his spark clench as he watched Axletron’s face crumble. The sparkling bit his derma and nodded softly, sinking back into his seat, staring at his fork as he picked at his pie. Cliffjumper felt his servos trembling. He rushed out of the kitchen, desperate to get to his room. He just made it past his door before his knees gave out and he sank by the side of his bed, trying to calm the thudding of his spark. It felt like the energon in his veins had been replaced with freezing coolant.

He sat there, on the floor by his bed and let his helm fall into his hands, trying to stop his shaking. He hadn’t expected the question to rattle him so much…he could lie with a straight face, if no small amount of quilt, to Longarm, Perceptor, even Hound and Ultra Magnus. Why was it so difficult to lie to his son?

He felt so lost. He couldn’t tell Axletron about Galvatron no matter how much he wanted too. He had to lie to his kid about his father, how fragged up was that? If Galvatron was here, he would be so hurt. Cliffjumper could see his spark-broken look in his head. He whimpered and curled up into himself. How could he be so sparkless?

-

Axletron had stayed at the table when his mom left. He felt bad for making his mom so upset. He hadn’t meant to do it…he was just curious. He had only ever had his mom, and though he had uncles and grandpas and aunts he didn’t have a ‘dad.’ Longarm said everyone one had one though, at least those like Axletron did, sparklings and such…Axle just wanted to know what he was like…but he regretted it now. He put down his fork and slid the remains of his pie away, slipping out of his chair, he tiptoed very softly upstairs. Mom’s door was closed, but Cliffjumper had told him to knock if he needed something. He knocked very softly, waiting for a moment before slipping the doorknob open. A stream of light flooded into the room. He peeked inside. His mom was sitting at the edge of his bed, head in his servos, looking very sad.

Biting his lip, Axletron creped inside, leaving the door open. He climbed into the bed and hugged his mom, snuggling into his shoulder pad, whispering sadly, “I’m sorry Mommy, I didn’t mean to make you sad. I won’t ask again.”

Cliffjumper sighed and uncurled himself, “…I’m sorry too…but I think that’s for the best… _for now_ …”

Axletron nodded, and Cliffjumper pulled him onto his lap, hugging him and cooing around his horns softly. He was almost too big for the spot, but neither one cared.  

Someday, Cliffjumper promised himself, someday, he’d tell Axletron the truth; the real truth. And hopefully, if Primus threw him a bone, he’d have Galvatron there with him. 

End Chapter 85


	86. Sanctuary? Or Prison?

Kup and Axletron were out on the front porch. Kup was smoking downwind, making sure Axletron didn’t get a single whiff of the toxic fumes. He’d grown antsy inside, so he’d moved their little coloring session outside. Axle was sitting at the small outdoor table while Kup leaned against the banister of the porch.

“Why do you smoke those Grandpa Kup?” Axletron asked, looking up from his coloring pad. He was almost finished with Kup’s portrait. He’d been painting the cy-gar when the question suddenly popped into his head.

“Habit.” Kup said gruffly. “Can’t kick it though.” He added. He’d started smoking cy-gars after spending some time alone on an abandoned planet. It had been…hard. Perceptor later told him that the planet had been poisoning him, making him see horrible visions and getting him addicted to the toxic chemicals in the air. The cy-gars kept the visions away without making the addiction worse.

“Are they bad?” Axletron asked again. He was pretty perceptive for a kid and he noticed his Grandpa Kup didn’t smoke close to him. Axletron didn’t even think he knew what those cy-gars smelled like.

“Yes. But for me it’s these or something worse.” Kup explained. “Don’t you start on ‘em though. It ain’t fun or healthy, especially for a youngling like you.” He added sternly.

Axle simply nodded gravely. Looking through his drawing he found the one he’d made of Cliffjumper. He put his color stylus down with a frown. Mom had gone off base with Uncle Sentinel, but he said he’d be back before dinner time. The sun was almost touching the hills on the crystal garden where he and Uncle Hound had picked flowers for their front yard. The purple roses were blooming now. Cliffjumper liked to sit out on the porch with Axle and look at them on the weekends when he didn’t have work to do. They both worked hard to keep the flowers nice and healthy. But Cliff wasn’t there now.

Kup, noticing the sparkling’s growing frown, shut off his cy-gar and swiftly snuck up behind the sparkling, picking him up by his waist and tossing him into the air. Axletron squeaked and laughed at the surprise flight, flailing his arms like wings as he was tossed up again.

Kup caught him with ease, tickling the youngling’s tummy. Axletron giggled and smiled wide, “Can Autobots fly Grandpa Kup?” he asked suddenly. He’d been around Autobots all his life. Alpha Trion has said that only Autobots were left on Cybertron and only Autobots were allowed on base. Decepticons weren’t allowed on base or the planet, so Axletron figured that meant he was an Autobot too, even if he didn’t have the red face on his chassis. But he’d never seen an Autobot fly. He saw them drive and transform in all shapes and colors, but none ever flew. Axletron couldn’t transform yet. Perceptor said that those parts took time to grow. He didn’t know what his alt mode would be, but he hoped he could fly. Something about the sky called to him, made him want to reach up and touch the clouds and the stars.

“None that I know of kid.” Kup answered. Only Decepticons were flyers. It was one of the biggest differences between them and one of the advantages the Cons had on them. Every Seeker and flyer sided with the Decepticons because they faced some of the worst prejudice as military builds. Now, flyer was synonymous with Decepticon.

“Why?”

“It’s just a part of being an Autobot. The Auto part comes from us transforming into automobiles.” Kup explained.

“Oh…” Axletron responded softly, gaze shifting to his hands. That meant he wasn’t going to get a flying altmode, since he was an Autobot and Autobots didn’t fly…but Longarm Prime had once said that a bot’s altmode was controlled by code as much as it was by body type. Like before the war, if seekers had ground based mates, any sparklings they had would be able to fly, since the sky hunger was so strong. Axle new his mom was a Grounder, but he didn’t know what he father was…was he able to fly? But that could mean he wasn’t an Autobot, wouldn’t it? Since Autobots didn’t fly. So he had to be a grounder too…right? But then why did Axle think about the sky so much… Axletron frowned and scanned the street again before asking, “Where’s mommy?”

Kup followed his gaze. “He’s probably on his way back right now.” He knew the youngling was missing Cliff, he couldn’t help it.  “Let me tell you a story Axletron” Kup said, placing Axle back on the ground. The youngling instantly sat down on the smooth crystal grass, eager to listen. Kup always told the best stories.

Crouching down, Kup chewed on his cy-gar for a moment before speaking. “I knew a bot once. He was one of the best fighter pilots among the Autobots. He was an expert on aerial acrobatics, though he had a bad habit of showing off rather than fighting properly” Kup said with a smirk. “He was a truck, but the way he piloted made the seeker elite look like amateurs. His name was Powerglide.”

Kup smiled around his Cy-gar as Axletron’s optics grew big. “Now, during the Great War, Powerglide was stationed on Hydrax Plateau, an island in the center of the Rust Sea. And one day, the Decepticons launched an attack on it.”

“Why?” Axletron asked softly. Alpha Trion had been talking to him about battle planning recently.

“Because it’s the biggest spaceport on the planet. Lots of ships go through it every day and during the war there were a lot of ships and supplies. It housed the Autobot’s largest air force and the Decepticons wanted it. So one day, they attacked the whole place using this new chemical weapon called Cosmic Rust. It’s a horrible, cruel tool that eats away at your plating and turns you to dust.” He explained with a flinch.

Axletron shrank into himself in fear. Kup continued. “The rust spread like wildfire but Powerglide managed to avoid it and get to a small fighter ship. Her started her up and started fighting the cons back. Well one ship against an army didn’t do much, even if he did fly circles around them, but then Powerglid got this brilliant crazy idea!”

“What was it!?” Axletron asked excitedly, leaning closer.

“He started flying his ship closer to the ground, sending huge gusts of air towards the Cons and turning their own Cosmic Rust against them! Cons started dropping like crazy! But then flyers got back on Powerglide’s tail. But he didn’t try to shoot them down.

“He didn’t?”

“Nope! He used them! He made them follow him through some daring flips and twirls and when they got distracted enough he made them fly close to the ground like he’d done before. They probably thought he was still trying to lose them, but they accidently helped him send out the biggest gust of air yet! It completely destroyed the Decepticon forces, and saved more than a few Autobots.”

“Yay!” Axletron shouted with a jump, waving his arms.

“That kid may as well have had wings with how well he flew a ship.” Kup said with respect. “He went down flying…”

Axle’s face fell. Powerglide wasn’t around anymore? But Axle wanted to talk to him, he wanted to meet the bot…! Sinking back into his seat, Axletron tugged at the grass. Kup often told him stories about bots that weren’t online anymore. His mom has told him that the bot’s sparks had gone to the Well of All Sparks. It wasn’t a place like their house or the base was, it was special, untraceable, and perfect. Every Cybertronian went there someday, and back when the Allspark had been on the planet, people believed that new sparks were old sparks, born into a new body as a new person. Axletron didn’t understand it all, but it was nice to think he might meet some of the bots Kup and his mom and the others told him about, even if they would be a bit different. The creak of their front gate immediately pulled Axle’s attention to the entrance, where Cliffjumper was walking in with a few bags.  

 “Hey Axle!” Cliffjumper greeted, crossing his gateway. He’d stopped for some groceries on the way home.  

“Mommy!” Axle shouted, jumping up and running across the yard to hug Cliffjumper’s legs, nearly tripping the minibot over. “You’re home!”

Cliffjumper wobbled unsteady, trying to keep hold of the bags.  “Yes! I’m sorry I took so long.” He said, mostly to Kup.

“No problem at all, I was just tellin’ the kid a story.” Kup said with a smirk.

“About Powerglide!” Axle said eagerly, hopping up and down around Cliffjumper as he walked towards the porch. Cliffjumper just smiled on.

“Powerglide? Oh yeah, he makes for a great story, especially when Kup tells it.” Cliffjumper added, nodding and placing the bags on the porch table. He nearly dropped them to the ground when Axle spoke again.

“Grandpa Kup, can you tell me a story about mommy next time?”

Kup smirked at the look of horror that filled the minibot’s faceplate; he had plenty of dirt on Cliff. “Sure kid, I got plenty about your mommy. I’ve known him since he was a recruit after all.”

The minibot glared at the old bot but dropped it with a sigh as Kup just smirked at him. “Want to stay for dinner Kup?” he asked.

Kup smiled, but nodded no. “Nah, maybe next time. Ah need ta go check on my team. It’s been a few micro-cycles so I’m sure they’ve gotten themselves into some kind of trouble again.” he explained with a smile.

The two red bots waved goodbye until the older bot vanished around the corner. “So what did you do today Axle?” Cliffjumper asked as they headed inside. He smiled as he listened to Axle babble about Powerglide and his day with Kup. He slowly felt the tension flow out of his limbs, and his spark seemed to brighten up a bit. Axle was his sanctuary. The one he could always come back too for a smile no matter how hard the day was.

…

“How was your trip with Uncle Sentinel Mommy?” Axle asked after dinner.

“It was fine. We had to meet some recruits in town.”

“Can I ever go there?” Axletron asked with a hopeful smile.

Cliffjumper frowned. Alpha Trion had explicitly forbidden him from taking Axletron off base, for several reasons. First, that is was not safe for a sparking to be out in a world where he was literally one of a kind. Anyone would recognize his value. They could kidnap him, kill him, experiment on him, and a million other things. Cybertron, despite the low population, was very densely crowded, and a bot like Axletron wasn’t exactly easy to miss. Not knowing what else to say, the red mini simply said, “Someday. When you’re bigger.”

Axletron, unhappy that the answer was no, but pleased that it was a maybe, nodded and moved his coloring supplies to the living room. He was getting bigger every-day. Everyone said so. Maybe he wouldn’t have to wait for long.

Cliffjumper frowned as he stared into the kitchen table. Axletron may be his sanctuary, but was this really Axle’s? The sparkling had such a good, open spark, but Cliffjumper could see his sparkling getting more and more…private. Their conversations at the dinner table weren’t as open or as lively. Axletron used to bombard him with any manner of questions, but recently had begun to avoid certain topics, like coding, parentage, and Cliffjumper’s own history. The red mini knew it was his fault for taking the sparkling’s questions about his father so harshly, but he didn’t know how to fix it.

Axletron was just so curious…yet he didn’t have many opportunities to let it shine. Cliffjumper had no doubt that if Axletron had existed in his generation he would have traveled the universe…Cliffjumper wasn’t sure if his son would get that same chance here and now. It wasn’t right to keep him trapped on base, no better than a prisoner, even if it was to keep him safe. What kind of life was that?

What could he do…?

Was it possible to step up his search for Galvatron and actually take a trip into space? He couldn’t take Axletron into Decepticon territory though. But he didn’t necessarily think he needed to be on Decepticon soil to learn more about it. And it wasn’t like Axletron would be allowed to populated planets…but maybe they could visit a less populated one? If it was close enough to the Decepticon Empire, he could garner some information from local sources and records alone. Even if it wasn’t near the Decepticon Empire, he’d traced his way through the universe; he could always get more info from the site. Maybe something that would open up a new door. And, perhaps most importantly, it would get Axletron off this base and out in the world. 

The idea stuck to his processor like rust stuck to a leaky faucet. There were hundreds of unclaimed/ neutral planets in their section of the universe. Hound had often told him that the organic ones weren’t very popular, and they made up the majority of the planets. Axletron would be happy with a walk through town, a trip to an organic planet would make his spark burst with joy. Maybe a bit of time out of the base and the constant bombardment of Autobot life and code would open up his spark and mind again.

Knowing Alpha Trion wouldn’t roll with idea without a fight, Cliffjumper could feel his stubborn streak setting in. Moving into his office, he grabbed a map of organic planets and started researching routes. If it was the last thing he did, he was going to take his sparkling on vacation, council be fragged.

End chapter 86


	87. To Space

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All information on planets is from the All Spark Almanac II, from Cosmos’ and Swindle's star charts.

Cliffjumper had prepared for a solid deca-cycle for this meeting, watching helplessly as Axletron’s expression became just the slightest hint darker. Bracing himself, Cliffjumper reviewed his charts and maps and plans again. He wondered if any other higher ups needed a meeting with the entire council to request a leave for vacation; he doubted it. For Pit’s sake it was only a few cycles. When Ultra Magnus entered and the doors were sealed, Cliffjumper marked the time, topic and members present and then moved from his seat by Longarm to the pedestal at the center of the room to address the council, trying not to feel like he was he was on trial.

With a confirming nod from Ultra Magnus, Cliffjumper spoke clearly, “I’m here today to formally request of short leave of absence for myself and Axletron.”

Most of the bots took it like the totally normal request it was, though Alpha Trion looked like he’d taken a gulp of spoiled energon. “For what purpose, Cliffjumper?” he asked.

“Nothing more than a short off-planet trip.” Cliffjumper replied. Alpha Trion began to sputter and Ultra Magnus and Longarm frowned in concern. Seeing their apprehension, Cliffjumper continued, “I’m beginning to see a strain in Axletron’s behavior from being confined to the base and to be honest, am beginning to feel it myself. A short trip, no more than a mega-cycle, to a non-populated, organic planet will do us both some good.”

Perceptor chose that moment to add his input. “Wheeljack and I have both noticed increased stress levels in Cliffjumper and Axletron. The sparkling in particular is showing troubling signs in his behavior and is often moody and melancholy.” The engineer at his side nodded in agreement, the lights on the side of his head blinking nervously.

“I see” Ultra Magnus murmured worriedly, gripping his hammer. That was not normal behavior for the sparkling that was always ready with a smile and a laugh, even when he was tired.

“But off planet?” Alpha Trion asked. “Is that really necessary?”

Cliffjumper, seeing the question coming, replied smoothly. “You’ve constantly stressed the importance of keeping Axletron hidden Alpha Trion. He’d be more likely to be spotted on Cybertron than a small organic planet. Most Cybertronians avoid them.”

“It is true.” Botanica added softly.

Ultra Magnus seemed to consider it. “…perhaps, if you’d be willing to take an armed escort with you…?”

Cliffjumper felt it was quite an accomplishment that he’d managed to frown rather than scowl. “This is meant to be a private trip Ultra Magnus. An escort will probably draw more attention to us.”

A few of the council members nodded in agreement, but Ultra Magnus persisted. He was not keen on having his honorary grandchild unprotected in space. “But what if something happens?”

“With all due respect sir, I’m a seasoned warrior and just because I’ve been behind a desk for a few cycles doesn’t mean those skills are gone. In fact, my shot has only improved since I’ve woken up again, since I constantly practice at the range.” Cliffjumper said firmly. “And do you really think I’d let anything happen to _my_ son?”

Smiling softly, Ultra Magnus yielded his argument with a soft nod. He couldn’t deny the minibot’s protectiveness. Things were calm right now, and he knew Cliffjumper hadn’t taken a break since he’d awoken, unless being confined to a bed counted, which he didn’t think it did. Ultra Magnus knew what it felt like to be trapped on base. The restlessness, the anger, the depression, he didn’t want that for Cliffjumper and certainly not for Axletron. “So long as you take precautions and keep us updated every cycle, I see no reason to refuse the request.” He smiled softly as Cliffjumper beamed at him, seeing some of the tenseness leave the mini’s frame. “I differ to the rest of the council for your decisions.” He added, turning to the other members.

Botanica spoke first. “I feel Axletron will definitely benefit from such a trip. So long as the planet is safe and private, I approve.” She knew Hound taught the sparkling botanics, as she was too caught up in her own research to do it, and had heard great things about the sparkling’s curiosity and intelligence from him. Sometimes, a plant needed some breathing room to really bloom, this could really help the sparkling.

Cliffjumper nodded his thanks and smiled at her before turning to Perceptor and Wheeljack. Perceptor nodded in agreement, “A vacation is long overdue. This trip will no doubt improve their emotional health and stability.”

“And it might help Cliffjumper loosen up a bit. All that time behind a desk had made him such a grump.” Wheeljack added with a chuckle. Cliffjumper scowled at the engineer, making his lights blink in laughter. More than a few bots in the room smiled at the comment.

Longarm was up next. After a moment of thought, he nodded in agreement and spoke for the first time at the meeting. “I agree that Cliffjumper and Axletron could definitely use some time off. They should take advantage of the calm right now. So long as they check in and keep us updated on their status, this should go down without a hitch.”

Cliffjumper smiled gratefully at his superior. Their friendship had been strained ever since the prison reform incident, but it was times like this he remembered why he liked Longarm anyway.

Finally, the room looked to Alpha Trion. “I think the council should at least approve your vacation spot.” Alpha Trion said finally, more than a little put out. “I believe you know Cosmos, Cliffjumper?” Alpha Trion asked lightly, gesturing the small satellite forward from the shadows behind his chair. “I’ve asked him to advise on locations.”

“Of course.” Cliffjumper replied. “Hey Cos.”

“Hi Cliff.” Cosmos replied, moving to join the mini on the floor and bringing up his star chart on the display. Cliffjumper saw with some relief that it wasn’t overly detailed, no political lines. “Where did you want to go?” Cosmos asked softly.

“I was thinking planet Daffodil II” Cliffjumper replied and saw the planet light up on the screen. It was near planet Junk, on the edges of the Autobot commonwealth.

The satellite shuffled nervously in place, “That’s very close to the Quintessons.”

“Absolutely not!” Alpha Trion declared.

Forcing himself not to roll his optics, Cliffjumper tried again. Did Alpha Trion really think he’d come in here without backups and backups for his backups? “How about the Grass Planet in Alpha Q’s realm?”

“Oh!” Cosmos said with an excited jump, focusing the screen on the area, “That’s a lovely planet!”

Botanica spoke up again, “And it’s currently in one of its brightest seasons. A lovely spot to visit and definitely private.”

“Perhaps, but it’s too far from the commonwealth” Ultra Magnus inserted. “If something were to happen, it would take us a while to respond to help. I’d really rather not risk it.” Alpha Trion and Longarm nodded and after some calculations on his pad, Perceptor and Wheeljack agreed as well.

“Alright.” Cliffjumper replied, praying for patience. “Maybe Azure?”

“A great place to visit, definitely, but too close to the Vestial Imperium and the pirate moon Barbarossa” Cosmos replied with a sad nod. “The pirates have gotten rather brave lately. We were planning to send out a force to take care of it after I got back.”

“D’Hoonnib then.” Cliffjumper said firmly.

Alpha Trion kept his frown but looked to the smaller satellite. Cosmos was rubbing his face plate in thought and nodding. “I think that one would be perfect. It’s organic, isolated, unclaimed and close enough to Cybertron to allow for a quick response if anything goes wrong.”

“Perfect!” Cliffjumper replied.

“All in agreement?” Ultra Magnus asked, putting his own servo up. The others added theirs, though Alpha Trion only after a moment’s hesitation. “It’s settled then. Cliffjumper, your request has been approved. Do you have a set departure date?”

“As soon as I can pack and rent a ship. We should be able to leave by the cycle after tomorrow, at the latest. We’ll return in a mega-cycle.”

All the bots nodded and Cliffjumper, smiling happily, marked the time the meeting ended and summarized the events. He practically floated through the rest of the day. He couldn’t wait to tell Axletron!

…

The sparkling’s optics had grown the size of saucers when he’d heard the news. He kept asking if it was really true as he hopped around behind Cliffjumper. He’d hugged all of his teachers in heartfelt thanks for their approval that night, as they came to say goodbye and wish them a fun trip. Ultra Magnus had briefed them on their safety protocols. Thanking primus he wasn’t going on vacation with an escort, Cliffjumper simply agreed. They weren’t that bad anyway. Just check-ins every cycle and notice when they arrived and left. Ultra Magnus said goodbye by pulling Axletron onto his lap and telling him very clearly, “If you run into any trouble, call us and we’ll go to help you right away. Listen to your mother and remember your lessons. Jazz had taught you well.”

Axletron nodded seriously, but was unable to keep the smile completely off his faceplate. He was so excited to go outside the base! To go off the planet! He was going to be able to see the stars! Who wouldn’t be excited about that!?

Sentinel, when he’d heard, had been more than a bit confused at Cliffjumper’s vacation choice. “Why in the name of Primus would you want to go to an organic planet!? They’re dangerous! They’re disgusting!”

“They are not disgusting Sentinel” Cliffjumper replied smoothly. “D’Hoonnib really beautiful this time of ano-cycle, Hound told me so. And it’s private, so Axletron doesn’t have to hide. He can run around and have some fun for a change.”

“But what if you meet up with monsters or something!?” Sentinel had added.

“D’Hoonnib is uninhabited, aside from tiny organics. It’ll just be me, Axle and the landscape.” Cliffjumper reassured him. Sentinel hadn’t seemed pleased, but reluctantly let it go.

Cliffjumper rented a small shuttle, built for speed and perfectly comfortable for one and a half minibots. Axle had fallen in love with the ship the moment he laid optics on it, running through every room, including the supply closet. Cliffjumper had barely managed to keep him out of the vents, and made sure to check all of the openings to make sure they were secure. It was a light blue ship with grey and black plating. Luckily, ship controls hadn’t changed much since he went under and Cliffjumper could manage the ship and navigation on his own. Alpha Trion had insisted on a ship inspection, and Cliffjumper had taught Axletron how to use the communicator as Wheeljack and Perceptor made sure everything worked.

The mini and his sparkling finally set off on around 6 in the morning, the second cycle after he’d gotten approval. Axletron could barely keep still in his seat. Cliffjumper loved the way the sparkling’s optics lit up as they broke free of the atmosphere and headed off, leaving the glowing planet of Cybertron behind. The nearest spacebridge point to D’Hoonnib was on Com, one of the two robotic planets in that sector of the universe, and the only one claimed by the Autobots. Cliffjumper had permission to use the space bridge nexus at his discretion, but he knew Longarm and the others were using them to keep track of his progress, so after a quick space jump, he headed for directly for D’Hoonnib. It wasn’t a particularly long trip, it’d only taken a few micro-cycles.

Axletron had spent the entire time staring out the window, taking in the sheer wonder and vastness of space with silent awe. His whole world had been confined to one base, on one planet and all of a sudden, he saw it was so small in the scope of the universe. There were so many worlds out there to explore…so many living things to meet and not all of them robotic. It was fair to say the sparkling’s mind was blown.

D’Hoonnib was a beautiful planet, with a golden atmosphere that turned red after nightfall. There was enough hydrogen oxide and oxygen for organic life to thrive there. The flowers were unlike anything on Cybertron. Rather than glimmering crystal, the flowers had soft petals and came in every color under the sun. The only inhabitants of the planet were small organic creatures that resembled turbo-rats or petro-rabbits, only much smaller and furry, with large ears, long tails and multiple eyes.  

Axletron had spotted one the moment they landed the ship and after they’d called Cybertron to tell everyone they’d arrived safely, they’d opened the landing pad and looked around the planet. Axletron, spotting more of the creatures peeking out from some bushes looked to his mother for approval before slowly approaching the new species. “They’re very delicate creatures” Cliffjumper said softly, “They don’t have metal plating like ours, so be very careful with them.”

Unused to visitors but naturally brave, a few of the small animals hopped forward toward Axletron and Cliffjumper, sniffing the air cautiously, ears flicking about. “They have a very strong sense of smell and are sometimes capable of smelling emotions in other organics, like fear.” Cliffjumper added, once again in a whisper. “If you call it softly, it might come to you.”

“How?” Axletron asked softly.

Moving slowly, Cliffjumper kneeled beside his son and held out a single servo, making a soft cooing noise. “Come here little guy. Come here.”

The bunny-like creature took a few more steps and sniffed at Cliffjumper servo. Seeing there wasn’t any risk, or perhaps sensing it, he moved to hop around Cliffjumper and Axletron. Soon enough, the others followed his lead and Axletron sat contently in the middle of a rabbit pile. “They’re so soft and warm!” he said with a giggle as they hopped over his chassis.

Cliffjumper smiled and took some holo-vids. The bots back home were going to love this.

…

For three cycles Cliffjumper and Axletron played with the bunnies and relaxed in the valley, occasionally venturing into the forest to explore, despite the constant check ins. Slowly but surely, Cliffjumper saw Axletron turning back into his old self, bright and cheerful and alive! He went to bed every night contently exhausted with a smile on his faceplate.

On the forth cycle, they decided to walk along the river for a while. Axletron was completely enchanted with the smooth flowing river of hydrogen oxide, so different from the acid rain and rust oceans on Cybertron. He chased the odd organics that lived inside it from the edges of the shore. Cliffjumper took the chance to teach the sparkling how to swim by closing all of his vents to keep the water out and letting the trapped air help him float, circulating his airflow directly from his mouth.

They followed the river to a waterfall in the forest and Cliffjumper spent some time absorbing the sun while Axletron looked for secret passages and buried treasure. Cliffjumper had brought his Galvatron Pad with him and spent time reviewing everything he’d collected so far, looking for a new link or a connection he missed before. There was also Nova’s letter to Megatron to consider. For all intents and purposes, at least in the optics of the Autobots, Megatron was dead. And unlike Galvatron, Megatron didn’t vanish over time but all at once, without a trail. Even if Cliffjumper dug through the records, he didn’t know where to go from the space bride malfunction.

He sat there contemplating until Axletron got hungry. Sharing a quick cube, they headed back for the ship. They were planning to catch a nap and stay up late for the natural light show that was set to take place that night. Colorful auroras filled the sky on colder nights on this planet. Taking a different route, Cliffjumper and Axletron hiked through the forest until they made it to an open field. Cliffjumper’s navigation said if they followed the forest line, they’d get back to the valley they were staying in a little under a micro-cycle. Sunset was several micro-cycles away.

But as they stepped out of the forest cover and walked down the grassy hill, Cliffjumper froze, instinctively grabbing one of Axletron’s swinging servo, making the sparkling stop short and look up at his mother in confusion. Following the bigger bot’s gaze he looked out across the field to the cluster of rocks and gasped.

There, sitting in the shade of the rocky incline, was a ship. A ship with a sharply angled purple face painted on the side. _A Decepticon ship._

End chapter 87 


	88. Just Our Luck

Cliffjumper really could not believe his luck. Thousands of planets in the universe, hundreds in their galaxy alone, and he had to pick the one the Deceptions were using as a hideout. He’d frozen the instant he’d spotted the Decepticon ship hiding in the shade of the rocky peak. For a desperate moment he wished the ship was deserted, left behind from a war vorns past. His hopes blew up in smoke a nano-klik later when the landing pad began to drop; Cliffjumper could just spot a pair of heavy set peds with sharp spikes. He and Axle must have triggered a proximity sensor!

Acting on instincts, Cliffjumper picked Axletron up and ran back into the forest for cover, activating his own sensors and battle routines. Running back to the waterfall and the river, he leapt over rocks and maneuvered quickly around trees. He could just see their picnic spot when his horns started to ring in an eerily familiar way. Cliffjumper could feel the vibrations of thrusters flowing through the air, even if he couldn’t hear them yet. They were being followed.

Moving quickly, he moved Axletron into the small cave the youngling found when they explored the site earlier, hiding him in between the rocks. “Stay here.” He ordered, pulling out the extra energon cubes he’d been carrying. “No matter what happens, don’t move from this spot. If I get captured, don’t worry about me, I’ll come back to you. But you have to stay right here. Do you understand?”

Axletron stared up at his mother with fear filled optics. “But Mommy…”

“Do you understand?” Cliffjumper repeated. The vibrations were getting harder. They were almost here.

Axletron nodded. Cliffjumper gave him a firm hug. “If someone finds your hiding place, try and find a new one along the river. The Autobots will come looking for us when we don’t check in on time, so don’t worry. Just stay hidden and stay safe. I’ll be back as soon as I can. I love you.” With a final goodbye kiss, Cliffjumper moved towards the edge of the pool in front of the waterfall and Axletron slipped further into his hiding place, curling into a little ball.

Activating a distress call that he fervently hoped would reach Cybertron, Cliffjumper checked his subspace for the light blaster he’d packed with him. It was still there. He had to get Axletron back to the ship and off this planet. He scanned the sky, but was surprised to hear the vibrations moving closer to the ground. A spiked motorcycle suddenly drove into the clearing, demolishing its way through the forest and screeching to a stop a few paces away from the red mini. Cliffjumper ran through his list of known Decepticons as the bot transformed. He was a two-wheeler, with a large glass dome for a head and wicked looking claws.

“What’s this? A little lost Autobot?” sneered the Con, his voice slicker than grease and twice as slimy. Cliffjumper suddenly recognized him as Oil Slick, one of the Decepticon’s chemists and the inventor of Cosmic Rust.

Cliffjumper held his glossa, glaring the bot down. He had to figure a way to keep Axletron safe and that meant drawing the bot’s attention away from the sparkling. He started to back away towards the forest as Oil Slick approached, ready to pull out his blaster at a moment’s notice.

“Where do you think you’re going minibot?” Oil Slick taunted, flexing his claws.

“Wherever the slag I want.” Cliffjumper snapped back. “Aren’t you a little far from your master, Con? You should be running back now.”

Oil Slick growled angrily and took another step towards the mini, making Cliffjumper take another step in retreat. “You got a real big mouth for such a small bot. Maybe the Doc can figure out why that is when he dissects ya.”  He suddenly lurched forward, claws ready to grab Cliffjumper by the neck.

Luckily, expecting the attack, Cliffjumper jumped to the side, rolling away from the bike. “I’m not going anywhere with _you._ ” He said harshly as he rolled back to his feet and moved towards the forest again. He’d have more maneuverability inside the tree cover, even if Oil Slick was strong enough to drive through trees.   

Oil Slick let out a cruel, sick laugh. “How cute! You think you have a choice!” he jeered, stopping to grab a barrel from his peds. “Come ‘ere!” he shouted, throwing the barrel directly at the mini.

Cliffjumper leaped aside, but the instant the barrel made contact with the ground where he’d just been standing, a hard flash of light blinded him before an explosion threw him deeper into the forest. He ended up smashing through a tree, but didn’t utter more than a grunt. He didn’t want Axletron to panic. Pulling himself back to his feet, he shook his head and rebooted his optics to try and get rid of the blindness, but everything remained fuzzy. “That the best you got?” he called out, hoping Axletron would be reassured that he wasn’t beat yet.

“Sturdy little thing aren’t you?”

Cliffjumper frowned. This wasn’t good. Everything was blurry and Oil Slicks paintjob just made him blend in with everything else. Ranking up the sensors in his horns, Cliffjumper listened for the vibrations of Oil Slick’s ped steps. He was coming closer.

Taking a chance, Cliffjumper turned and ran, trying not to bump into too many trees as he scrambled through the forest. Rebooting his optics a few more times managed to clear his vision enough to spot a rocky incline. Hopping expertly up the first few ledges he found a solid perch and turned to face the Con right behind him. He pulled out his blaster and took a clear shot at the Decepticon. Oil Slick ducked behind a tree as the shot fired and Cliffjumper kept climbing. Once at the top, he ran for cover again, but was cut off by another exploding barrel.

Turning to face the Decepticon head on, Cliffjumper saw the next barrel fly towards him and leveled his blaster, shooting it dead center. He’d expected another bomb, but the barrel broke apart to reveal a chain link! It was a fragging bolas! Unable to dodge, the chains wrapped around his torso and knocked him to the ground, but he kept hold of his blaster.

Oil Slick sauntered up to him and kicked him so he was on his back. He bent over Cliffjumper with a smirk and the mini took his chance, shooting the blaster. It was aimed for Oil Slick’s head, but the motorcycle moved at the last klik and ended up getting clipped on the shoulder. The motorcycle kicked the blaster away with a snarl, bringing out his own, much larger weapon. Stomping harshly on Cliff’s chassis, he aimed it point blank at the mini’s faceplate, “I should blast your processor out for that” he growled.

Cliffjumper’s horns vibrated as the blaster warmed up, but he didn’t drop his gaze. He stared unflinchingly back at Oil Slick, praying that someone would get to Axle soon. The last thing he wanted was for his son to get caught up in this. Micro-klicks ticked by and the angry sneer on Oil Slicks face slowly melted into a concerning face of glee. “I _should_ blast you. But the Doc’s got _much_ better plans for you, minibot” he spat out.

Cliffjumper’s vision went dark when that ridiculously big blaster smashed into his helm, knocking him offline.

\---

He woke up a few micro-cycles later, strapped to a flat lab table in a dark room, cramped to the brim with medical supplies. Adjusting his optics, he took in the situation. He was bound, servo and ped, probably about to be interrogated. Axletron was probably worried sick. Cliff had to get back to him.

He began to test his restraints. They weren’t stasis cuffs, just reinforced cables. After the first few jerks and twists, the table he was laid out on suddenly began to move. It tilted forward and he slid to stand at the bottom end. Since the table was made for much larger bots, the restraints on his wrists ended up pulling his servos up around his shoulders. He didn’t have much wiggle room but at least he was on his own peds and not hanging awkwardly from the other end of the table.

The lights kicked up a notch, making him shutter his optics again. He was so going to need an optic check after this. He heard a door slide behind him and a large bot glided into his line of sight.

“Finally avake Autobot?” Asked the bot; he was a triple changer, with a tan and purple paintjob. Cliffjumper recognized him as Blitzwing, one of Megatron’s lieutenants. He responded to the question with a flat look. Obviously he was awake. “Good. We’ve much to discuss.”

“We do?” Cliffjumper asked.

Blitzwing’s faceplate suddenly spun and the cool blue face was replaced with a black one with a jagged mouth. “Of course ve do silly bot!”

“…Riiiight…like what?” Cliffjumper replied. That must be Random, one of the triple changer’s personalities. Records said it was the…crazier one.

“Vhat’s a cute little minibot like jou doing on a planet like this?” Random asked with a crazed laugh and a weird… brow waggle.  He shifted a hand to pet the mini’s horns and Cliffjumper forced himself not to flinch violently, even as the larger servos made some memories spring forth. Instead he clenched his fists and ducked out from under the bot’s hand.

Cliffjumper could feel his eye twitch at the sickly sweet tone and touch. “I _was_ on vacation.” There wasn’t any harm in answering simple questions. If anything, it kept the interrogator from getting absolutely irritated. Cliff could cold-shoulder with the best of them, but he didn’t have time to waste playing around. And if he got back to Axletron looking like he got the scrap beaten out of him…well, he’d rather not subject his son to that if he didn’t have to.

“Oh?” Icy asked, taking control again, “All by yourzelf?”

“Yes.”

Icy paused just on the edges of Cliffjumper’s vision, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, “Ztrange, as ve originally detected _two_ energy zignatures when jou entered our range.”

“Your scanners must be glitching,” Cliffjumper replied flatly, “I came here alone.”

“Now that izn’t safe at all _Cliffjumper_ ” Icy said with a mean smirk, finally moving out of Cliffjumper’s line of sight, a common interrogation technique. Cliffjumper didn’t try to follow him with his gaze.

The mini retorted with an unimpressed tone, “So you know my name. Congratulations, as though that isn’t public record.” While Cliffjumper hoped he sounded nonchalant, he was actually a bit concerned. Being the Intel secretary and second was a pretty big step up from being a foot solider or a security member. He actually _had_ information bots wanted now, and he wasn’t particularly thrilled about Blitzwing knowing that. It was times like this that he envied their agent’s anonymity.

“Jou shouldn’t have left home without jour bodyguard.” As the triple changer spoke, the top of the table was suddenly pulled down, dragging him back up to the middle of the table. It slammed loudly to a stop when it was horizontal again and Hothead, Blitzwing’s final personality, smashed his fists on either side of Cliffjumper’s head, making his horns ring. They were still sensitive from then he ranked them up in the forest.

The red mini graced Blitzwing with a vaguely pained glare as he grit out, “I don’t _need_ a bodyguard.” He could frag well take care of himself…present situation notwithstanding.  

With a smirk Hothead let the table tilt forward again, like a teeter-totter…only for torture, then Icy’s voice rang out into the room, mocking and cool, “Jou may not need one, but vhat about jour little companion?”

“There isn’t one, I came here alone.” Cliffjumper replied with the same mocking tone, trying not to sound overly insistent, but more like he was stating a fact.

Icy hid an annoyed twitch by turning his back on the mini and scanning the medical tools on the shelves of the room. He hated interrogating Intel agents. They knew all the tricks and required him to extend more than the standard effort to get what he wanted, and that usually meant letting Hothead or Random loose on them. Deciding to give it one more try before letting Random take over, Icy simply asked, “Zo jou expect us to believe that the second to the Head of Intel came here alone?”

“I don’t _expect_ you to believe anything, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s true.”

Blitzwing’s faceplate spun again. “Jour lyiiiing” Random sang, turning away from the medical equipment and wagging a finger disapprovingly at the bound mini. “Come on now, jou and I know both know there was someone else. Who were jou with?”

“Are you hard of hearing? I came ALONE.” Cliffjumper replied, getting the _tinniest_ bit annoyed.

That tiny hint of irritation blew into a full blown rage when Hothead took over and actually _slapped_ him across the face, hollering, “STOP LYING PATHETIC AUTOBOT!”

Cliffjumper could not believe it. He’d been _SLAPPED_. Not punched, but _slapped_! He glared at the triple changer in disbelief as his cheeks burned, and not from the slap. “What the _slag_ was that!?”  He asked, maybe rather stupidly, but he couldn’t help it. Was Blitzwing insulting him!? His cheek was barely even smarting! Nevermind the fact that he didn’t want to go back to Axle with a busted faceplate, it was just audacious!

Lost in his own disbelief, Cliffjumper was blissfully unaware of the conversation going on in Blitzwing’s twisted processor. Hothead was actually going to punch Cliffjumper into the next orbital system, when Icy quickly reminded them that the mini needed to remain largely unharmed. Shockwave had said the red bot had given _live_ spark birth; they couldn’t afford to irreparably damage him, and in all honesty, it’d been a while since they’d dealt with Autobots and they’d forgotten how much one could take, never mind how much a mini could take.

You see, it was Shockwave that had told them of the mini’s vacation plans. It seemed their Spymaster had hit a dead end on the minibot front and was getting desperate. Desperate enough that he’d ordered Lugnut and Blitzwing to interrogate him about Axletron, though it was a clear red flag about a spy in the ranks. Cliffjumper knew more about Galvatron than he was letting on, and if they learned what the mini was hiding, they just might be able to help the former head of the Decepticons, and if one Warlord was great, two would be unstoppable. But they were also under orders to leave Cliffjumper and Axletron unharmed. Without Megatron, the Decepticons couldn’t risk attracting the full force of the Autobot forces on them, which would be a sure result if any harm came to Ultra Magnus’ honorary grandson.

What’s more, they didn’t have much time. Deciding to cut with the pleasantries, Icy fell back and let Random take over. The insane personality grinned impishly at the still stunned minibot. “Zo zorry” he cooed, “let me kiss it better” he added, bending over to give the mini a soft peck with his jagged lips and laughing when the red bot jerked away with a snarl! 

“F-frag off!” Cliffjumper shouted at him, a lump of cold dread suddenly growing in the pit of his tank. Did…did Decepticons still…rape other bots? Did they only stick to their code when their master was around?

With a high pitched giggle, Random softly caressed one of Cliffjumper’s horns, “But jou are ZO CUTE!”

Growing frantic, Cliffjumper sank as close to the ground as he could to avoid the touch, leaving his arms in the air near the center of the table. “Cut it out!” he gasped out, surprised at himself. He’d expected torture and brutal punches and hits. He didn’t think he could handle caresses and teasing. He couldn’t. Not that. Anything but that! Memories he’d almost managed to bury were popping up like weeds after a shower. Galvatron whispering into his audios, Galvatron stroking his horns, _Galvatron_ calling him cutie until he burned red! Galvatron! Not _Blitzwing_!

Inside his head, Blitzwing’s personalities smirked. It seemed the way to get to Cliffjumper was through gentleness, not brutality. What irony. Considering that Random was the only one that could really do “gentle” everything was left to him. Crouching down, the triple-changer slid a servo under the mini’s chin and drew his face up to meet his gaze. His blue optics were blown open and shined a bit too brightly, but his mouth remained firmly shut and angry. Cliffjumper tried to yank his chin out of the Decepticon’s hand but Random simply gripped it harder. Leaning in closely, he smirked at the panic that flooded the mini’s face. “Vhy don’t ve talk about sparklings…” he said softly.  

Cliffjumper spark must have stalled. He could not have heard right. He prayed to primus he didn’t hear right. “…what?” he asked softly.

“Sparklings!” Random explained, pinching Cliffjumper cheeks, “You know! Little baby cybertronians with tiny peds and chubby faceplates!”  

“Why would you want to talk about sparklings?” Cliffjumper asked, desperately trying to act confused. It wasn’t too hard, he was confused. How did the Decepticons hear about sparklings? Why in the name of primus would they even consider anything about them? “There hasn’t been a sparkling since the All Spark went missing.”

“Jes, Jes” Random replied lightly, sliding a servo down to seemingly brush off some dust from Cliffjumper shoulder pad, thoroughly invading the mini’s personal space. “But just zink of them! So small and tiny and abzolutly…helpless.” As he finished speaking, he brutally gripped the mini’s shoulder pad, bending and distorting it out of shape, grinding it into the transformation cogs underneath. Cliffjumper gritted his denta as pain coursed through his system and alarms started flashing in his vision. It was fine. Pain he could handle. This he could take, even if he couldn’t transform into vehicle mode till he was repaired.

Despite the haze of pain, Cliffjumper couldn’t help it when his mind instantly flew to Axletron, alone in the woods. What if he’d left his hiding place? What if he encountered a wild animal or got hurt? A horrifying image of Axletron with a broken limb surrounded by monsters made Cliffjumper’s spark stall. What if he needed his help…No! Blitzwing was messing with him! Axletron was smart and strong. There wasn’t any dangerous wildlife on this planet and Axletron wouldn’t leave his hiding place for anyone but a friend. He was fine, Cliffjumper just needed to believe that….Swallowing his concern, Cliffjumper shot Random a flat look, “Last I checked, sparklings don’t pop out of thin air.”

Random gave the mini a dirty look, not happy with the mini’s evasions. Apparently that pain was enough to bring back his training. He’d remember that.  “No, but they _can_ pop out ov sparks.” He whispered, running a servo smoothly down the mini’s chassis, lingering over the smaller mech’s spark. He was so small, he could hold the mini’s spark in a single servo. “Jou know that.”

“What are you even saying?” Cliffjumper rasped out as he tried to escape the Decepticon’s touch, “I don’t understand.” He had nowhere to move. His back was pinned against the table, his arms hung taunt above his head and Blitzwing was bearing down on him. He frantically shifted he gaze to search the room for something he could use.

“Jou have a sparkling.” Random replied, gripping the mini’s chin to keep his gaze on him. He could feel the heat of energon in the mini faceplate as he strained against his grip.

The mini was clenching and unclenching his fists, trying to keep his breathing under control. “No one has a sparkling” he stammered. _They knew! They knew about Axletron! But…but how!?_ It had to be a trick, a lie, a ruse! Something, anything but the truth! _They couldn’t know about his sparkling!_

All his hopes were shattered with Blitzwing’s next question. “Vere is Axletron?”

If you’d ask him later, Cliffjumper would say he was acting on instincts. When that damn Decepticon has said his son’s name, Cliffjumper knew he’d been betrayed and that fury boiled into his famous volcanic temper. With a growl, he viciously head-butted Blitzwing, savoring the sound of cracking glass even as his own processor throbbed painfully.

A quick whirl and Hothead was back in control, “Jou fragging Autobot Scum!” he hollered, gripping Cliffjumper by the neck and lifting him off the ground, pinning him to upright table. Cliffjumper’s bound hands had some leeway, but not enough to lessen the pressure on his throat.  Hothead’s faceplate twitched, and after slamming Cliffjumper harshly against the back of the table, he let him fall back to his peds and Icy took over. Cliffjumper was pleased to see that his monocle was cracked. 

“Come now.” Icy said coolly, “Jou know he belongs with us. Vith his fellow _Decepticons_.”

“You’re crazy.” Cliffjumper growled out.

“Maybe zo, but no more than jou.” Replied the Decepticon with a hard look, “After all, it’s crazy to think that that sparkling vill grow to be anyzing _but_ a Decepticon. It’s in his _code_ , in his very _life blood_. Jou may hold him back for now, but someday, he’ll come to us by himself…”

“You’re wrong.”

Icy began to circle the mini again, like a fragging cyber-vulture who’d just found a nice meal. “Yes, jou would wish that, vouldn’t jou? Afraid of losing the little scraplet? Don’t jou see, jou’re losing him already. Every day, his Decepticon coding asserts itself.”

“That isn’t true!” Cliffjumper cried out. Axletron never did anything remotely Decepticon-like! The worst thing the kid did was sneak an energon cookie before dinner! For Primus sake he was only a child!

But Icy didn’t let up. He stepped firmly in front of the mini and pushed him back against the table, looming over him threateningly. “Of course it’z only a matter of time before hiz Decepticon coding takes complete control and then I’m sure he’ll give those Autobots what’s coming to them.”

“Stop it!” Shutting his optics, Cliffjumper tried to block Blitzwing’s words. He was wrong! Axletron was an angel! He didn’t have a bad relay in his body. Why did they have to judge him based on his coding!? He’d father was a good bot even if he was a Decepticon! Coding didn’t matter! Axletron was his own bot! He’d make his own choices when the time came!

“And those Autobots _will_ have it coming to them. It izn’t hard to imagine how ze public will react to him. A little warlord in zer midst? What does hiz mother’s coding matter when he iz ze spawn of the Decepticon leader?”

“SHUT UP!” Cliffjumper couldn’t keep himself from snarling and throwing himself as far as he could at the triple changer, who moved back just in time to avoid another hit to the face but not fast enough to miss a dent to his shin. He knew that the public was fickle and paranoid, but frag if he was going to let a Decepticon use his fears against him! “You don’t know a thing about Axletron!”

Random took over and started laughing hysterically. Mockingly, he grabbed Cliffjumper by the chin and jerked his head from side to side, “Ve know enough.”

Cliffjumper felt revulsion cluster at the back of his throat, making him feel like he was going to purge. He jerked his chin out of the bot’s servo, and made to snap at him. When Blitzwing pulled away, the mini struggled against his bonds. He wanted to thrash the triple-changer, he wanted to rip off his stupid spinning faceplate and throw it into a molten pit! He wanted to permanently silence the threat to his son!  His energon boiling through his veins as he thrashed against the ropes.

Hothead took over and laughed at the minibot’s fruitless struggles. After a moment, he reached out and gripped the minibot by the neck, forcing him against the table with a hard thunk. With a quick spin Icy loomed close enough to the mini to feel the heat of his livid breaths. “Vhat we do not know, iz how Axletron was conceived.” The grip on the mini’s throat tightened. “Vas it really just a coincidence?”

Cliffjumper gritted his denta and snarled, “I’ve got nothing to say to _you_.” And with that, he spat on the triple changer’s faceplate.  He was done. He wasn’t going to give these slaggers any more amo against him. They knew about Axletron, they probably knew about the rape, but they didn’t know the truth. Only Cliffjumper and Galvatron knew the truth.

Wiping away the spit fluid, Blitzwing stepped back, “If you vill not tell us of your own free vill…ve shall have to persuade you…” Behind the table, the door whooshed open, but Cliffjumper couldn’t see anyone, even as Blitzwing spoke again. “Doktor. Ve leave him in jour…capable servos. Find out vhat made this bot’s spark so…special. ” And with that ominous note, Blitzwing walked out of the room.

Cliffjumper looked down. Scalpel was a tiny bot, even by Autobot standards. He was a bit smaller than the rabbits Axletron had been playing with the past few days, but nowhere near as endearing. He looked like a spider, with thin legs and pincer like servos and a face Cliffjumper doubted the bot’s own mother could love. The red minibot couldn’t help but flinch when the small bot crawled his way up his leg to his shoulder, those tiny little pincers sending uncomfortable jitters up his spine. He did NOT want this bot ANYWHERE near him.

“So, you are the bot?” He asked with a sneer, “I thought you would be bigger.” He skittered around the mini’s chassis, his pincers tapping severely against the mini’s horns. “How did you bear a warlord’s child with so tiny a chassis?”

Lurching sharply, Cliffjumper tried to shake the tiny bot off his chassis, but the slagging bug just dig into the seams between his plates, sending tiny jolts of pain through the mini’s frame. “Get _off_ me” Cliffjumper grit out.

“I suppose size doesn’t matter.” Scalpel muttered to himself, completely ignoring the mini. “Now. Let’s see if we can’t figure what made your spark able to bear sparks.”

The table suddenly shifted back into its horizontal position.

Cliffjumper watched in dread as the little spider bot clawed his way up to his helm and opened a medical port, plugging in. Of course, his first reaction was to throw up and reinforce his firewalls, but after a few moments of severe struggle, they began to weaken and crumble under the doctor’s barrage. As one wall after another began to fall, Cliffjumper began to panic. The bot wasn’t aiming for his memory banks, which was both a good and bad thing. Good because, as a member of Intel, Cliffjumper had upgrades that not only protected the information he held in his head, but encoded it, and if necessary, purged it from his system. Bad thing because Scalpel was trying to access the subroutines for his bodily systems, specifically the ones that controlled his chassis plating! As Cliffjumper realized what the little piece of scrap was trying to do, he pitched himself away from the table, straining against his bonds; almost managing to unplug the bot from his systems with a shout, “What the scrap do you think you’re doing!? GET OFF ME!”

But his infuriated protest was ignored and before he could even believe it, his chassis opened to show his spark to the cruel little doctor. Cliffjumper could only stare down as his exposed spark in shock. Scalpel, keeping himself linked to the mini’s processor, crawled over the spark and pulled out a very special tool from his subspace. It was a spark reader and scanner, invented by the doctor personally. While scanners of such a kind already existed, Scalpel’s provided the best possible reading of a bots spark, simply because it drew its reading’s while being directly inserted _into_ the spark. The tool was basically a monitor attached to two slim metal rods. The rods were placed on opposite sides of the spark chamber and, when activated, released a charge of electricity to stimulate the spark and gain an accurate reading of the spark and all its connected systems, with no harm to the spark. The only downside was that the procedure was extremely painful…but what did it matter when it was an Autobot on the table?

Breaking through the mini’s firewalls was a bit more difficult than he expected, but Scalpel was able to do it and here stood his prize. Every now and then the chassis would jolt to a stop as the mini regained control, but those moments were few and the little doctor had enough room to thrust the rods of his torture device into the mini’s spark.

Cliffjumper screamed as pain flooded every inch of his body. _This couldn’t be happening again. Not again._ Try as he might, Cliffjumper couldn’t stop the memories from flooding to the forefront of his mind. Claws trapping his servos and ripping apart his platting…the burning of a sparked forced on him…the shear helplessness of that situation was flashing in a cycle in his mind. He knew, _he knew_ , Galvatron hadn’t meant it. He knew the purple warlord hadn’t _wanted_ to do that to him, but the pain was the only thing in his mind, not the bot’s reasons. Surge of after surge of energy ripped through his relays, making it feel as though he was flying apart at the seams.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to simply tell us how exactly Axletron was conceived, minibot?” Scalpel asked with obvious disinterest, paying more attention to his pad as the scans returned.

Pushing through the pain, Cliffjumper glared at the little scraplette, “Go to the Pit.”

The demented doctor didn’t even bat an optic. Instead he removed the rods with a hard yank that had Cliffjumper cringing even in the relief of the previous pain.

“It seems we are at an impasse then. If you will not tell us, we shall have to find out for ourselves.” Scalpel replied.

The red mini, body still ringing from the charges of the torture device could only stare at the little bot in confusion. “Excuse me?”

“You did it once. Maybe you can do it again.” Scalpel added, “We just need a donor and you’ve already proven size doesn’t matter.”

Cliffjumper’s spark grew cold and sputtered. “…what?”

“Let us see if we cannot ‘knock you up’ again.” Scalpel replied, a cruel grin forming under his overly large optics.

\---

In an adjoining room, Lugnut, Strika and Blitzwing watched on as “The Doctor” had some fun. They hoped the mini would crack soon. While Decepticons were known for their rough interrogation techniques, rape was not a method they endorsed…not to say they were not above threatening it.

However, the mini didn’t seem to be giving in, even the slightest. It was clear he was uncomfortable and horrified, but he kept his mouth shut. He’d managed to override the doctor’s hack twice, getting his panels to close just a tad before they were forced to stop again. It was only when Cliffjumper’s optics blazed white at Scalpel’s threat and he went completely still that Strika stepped forward. “Now. Stop it now. The mini is having a panic attack.”

It was true. Cliffjumper looked like he was struggling to circulate his air flow. Despite the restraints having some leeway, the mini’s limbs sat heavy against the table and his optics shined brightly like he was overcharged. It seemed as though he didn’t even have the strength of mind to clench and unclench his servos anymore.

Lugnut agreed with his sparkmate. Blitzwing made the call that called the Doctor off as they all moved to the main conference room at the other end of the ship.

“Oh, looks like I have another patient. Don’t worry! I’ll be back to soon _!_ ” Scalpel unplugged from Cliffjumper’s system, crawled off the mini’s chassis and down the table to the floor with a cruel chuckle. After he left, for several tense moments, the only sound in the room was Cliffjumper’s ragged breathing. He stared directly ahead at the ceiling until he was finally able to close his spark chamber. It was only then that he let shoulders slump and shut down his optics.

He had to get the frag out of there. NOW.

\---

Meanwhile, in his hiding place, Axletron was trying to meditate, something Jazz had told him would help in times of crisis to keep control and stay cool. He breathed in and out, slowly and smoothly, but every breath ended in a hiccup and he couldn’t stop the tears from sliding down his faceplate.

He was absolutely terrified.

He was alone and the Decepticons had his mom! What if they hurt him!? Or off-lined him!? Axletron had heard stories about the Decepticons all his life from everyone in his family: Kup, Ultra Magnus, Mirage, Hound, Alpha Trion. They all said the same thing! You can’t trust a Decepticon! They’re monsters to the spark! And now his mom was in their claws!

Curling up into himself, he let out a soft whimper. If only he was bigger. If only he was stronger. If only he was braver. He could help his mommy. He could fight! Just like Kup and Alpha Trion and Ultra Magnus fought! If only he knew how to kick and punch like Jazz, instead of just meditating and blocking! If only, if only, if only!

Knocking himself harshly on the head, Axletron tried to block out the world. He couldn’t just sit here! Not while his mom was in trouble! But what could he do!? He could try and make it back to the ship, but his mom had told him to stay put. And what if the Decepticons had found their ship too? He could be walking straight into a trap! Why did this happen? They were having so much fun on the planet, and now everything was ruined. He wished they’d never come here! He wished he was home on Cybertron again, where it was safe and he had his mommy with him!

“…Axletron?”

The sparkling stifled a yelp as he looked up in hope and fear. That wasn’t his mommy’s voice, but it was familiar. A pair of bright Autobot blue optics looked back at him with concern.

Axletron couldn’t help himself. With a sob, he flew from his hiding place, clutching onto his rescuer with all of his strength and crying into his neck.  “Uncle Blurr! The Decepticons took my Mommy!”  

Blurr wrapped his servos around the sobbing sparkling, softly rubbing his back to try and help him calm down. “I know.” He replied, “Shhh, it’s ok Axle, I promise…we’ll get him back…but first, we need to get you somewhere safe.”

With a quick scan of their surroundings, Blurr picked the sparking up and took off into the forest.

\---

After calming down, Cliffjumper didn’t waste another moment waiting for Scalpel to come back. He slid himself down to the bottom edge of the table, in the same position he was in when it was upright and began gnawing at the cables on his wrists, trying to loosen the knots. He even used his horns at one point to get the ropes to loosen faster. After what felt like an eternity, the ropes finally came undone, leaving his servos free, and soon enough, his peds were freed as well.

Moving swiftly, Cliffjumper scanned the room for anything useful. It was mostly replacement parts and medical supplies, but he did manage to find what looked like a large, and broken, scanner…or telescope. He didn’t know what it was, but it was heavy and that was all he needed. Picking up his temporary weapon, he hacked through the lock on the door and headed down the hall.

All ships basically had the same layout, or so he hopped. If Decepticons had any sense in their ship building, the med bay, which he was assuming was what the torture room actually was, would be near the entry pad, but close to the helm, for easy access in case of emergencies. His biggest problem was running into anyone. Oil Slick was a part of team Charr, but considering how far Planet Charr was from their current location, Cliff could only hope he’d split from the team, at least temporary.  Bottom line was, he didn’t know how many Decepticons he was up against, and considering he couldn’t tell the front of the ship from the back was not helping his odds of escape.

And just to keep up with the day’s steller luck, as he rounded another corner, he came faceplate to faceplate with a very surprised Oil Slick.

Taking advantage of the shock, Cliffjumper stomped with all of his strength on the motorcycle’s ped, hearing the satisfying crunch of metal as the bot let out a holler of pain and sank forward. Not sparing a nano-klick, Cliffjumper ducked under him and grabbed the Decepticon’s blaster from where it was strapped to the bot’s hip plates. Slamming the heavy metal hard on the other bot’s helm, he heard glass shatter and the bot fell to the ground in a crumbled heap. Slipping the gun into his subspace, Cliffjumper grabbed the bot’s peds and dragged him to the nearest door he could find. Sliding it open, he pushed the bot into the supply closet and fried the entry pad.  The fragger wasn’t getting out of there anytime soon.

Knowing he didn’t have any time to waste and more than a little worried about Axletron, Cliffjumper began making his way down a large hall. He’d gotten lucky, the ship hadn’t taken off. But just when he could see the open landing dock, he heard voices. He barely managed to stop from walking right in the line of sight of the bots talking on the other side of an open doorway. Subduing a growl, Cliffjumper crouched against the side of the door and took the blaster out of subspace. Listening carefully, blaster at the ready, Cliffjumper quickly peeked around the corner of the doorway. He saw three transformers: Blitzwing and two other massive Decepticons. 

Running through his database, he recognized the two new players as Lugnut and Strika, another of Megatron’s lieutenants and one of his generals. What were they doing on D’Hoonnib? Regrouping? Planning a strike? Had he just stumbled into a bad situation totally at random?

No. They knew about him, about Axletron. They _had_ to have known they were here. It was too much to believe that they’d just happened to be on the same planet at the same time. This was just another confirmation of his fears. There was a spy in the Autobots. One who had access to top secret information. One that had told the Cons about his vacation here and even worse, about Axletron.

He took another peek into the room, trying to spot maps or layouts or something. Oh Primus, Lugnut and Strika were making kissy faces at each other. Cliffjumper felt sick.

Shuddering, Cliffjumper looked longingly at the open doorway. He was going to have to make a break for it. He’d zoom right past, maybe blast the landing pad panel along the way. Then he’d grab Axletron and head for Cybertron like Unicron was on their heels.

Preparing himself to bolt, Cliffjumper paused to listen to the conversation. Well, one of the bots was shouting and it was kind of hard to ignore that.

 “How much longer until the preparations are finished?” shouted the transformer. It had to be Lugnut.  

“Ve can head out in ze morning” replied Blitzwing. It seemed Icy had taken over again.

“Which sector will you head to this time?” asked a gruff, roughly female voice. Strika.

“Ve vill explore the Zeta quadrant next. There are rumors of a few organic planets that could block the All Spark’s energy signature.”

Cliffjumper shuttered his optics in surprise. They were still looking for the All Spark?

“Lord Megatron could require our assistance.”

“What should ve do vit the mini?”

“He is useless to us without the sparkling. And if we take him, the Autobots could hide Axletron. Wipe his memory and return him to the planet. _He’ll_ take care of the rest.” Strika replied.

Before the mini could hear anything else, a soft “Cliffjumper!?” was heard behind him.

Cliffjumper swiftly turned and aimed his blaster, vorns of instincts controlling his motion. His stolen blaster met a familiar light blue bot. “Blurr!” he whispered with relieved surprise, letting his blaster fall to his side.

“What-in-the-name-of-Primus-are-you-doing-here-Cliffjumper!?”

Cliffjumper cast a nervous glance to the open doorway. He knew it was too soon for the Autobots to have sent help, so Blurr must have been on a mission. He knew the speedster had been tracking some leads off planet but he didn’t know he’d found actual Decepticons. He gestured for silence and Blurr nodded. His comm. link activated, :Axletron and I were on vacation on this planet:

:I-got-Axletron-earlier: Blurr explained, :He’s-on-my-ship. Don’t-worry-it’s-cloaked:

:Oh thank Primus! Thank you Blurr:

Blurr just nodded and spared the door another glance. :I’m faster. Get on my back and we’ll make a run for it:

Unhappy with the arrangement, but knowing they didn’t have any other options, Cliffjumper subspaced the blaster and crawled over to Blurr. Once he was securely in place, Blurr took off, shooting past the open doorway and zooming down the landing pad into the forest.

It didn’t take long for them to reach a safe distance from the ship.

“Thanks.” Cliffjumper said when he was finally on his peds again. Blurr had taken him through the forest, in the shadow of a few hills. It was only after Blurr deactivated the cloaking system that those hills vanished into a ship.

Rushing towards the opening landing pad, the mini looked for a splash of red in the preside blue and white ship. “Axletron!” Cliffjumper called out. Not a nano-klik later, his had his arms full with a desperately crying  sparkling. “Shhh, it’s ok sweetspark. You’re ok.”

“The-they took you!” Axletron sobbed, clutching desperately to Cliffjumper’s plating.

“I know, I know, but I’m ok see? I right here…” Cliffjumper cooed softly, rubbing the sparkling’s helm. “We’re fine. We’ll be home before you know it, ok?”

The youngling nodded, but didn’t release his grip on his mother, eventually falling asleep in the mini’s arms. Cliffjumper was silent on the trip back to Cybertron. Blurr volunteered to drive so he spent the trip curled up with Axletron as the sparkling reassured himself that his mother was indeed there and in one piece. He’d have to send someone to pick up their rental later, but really that was the least of the red Autobot’s concerns.

Cliffjumper knew he’d have to make a report and that worked out just fine for him, because that would mean research. Those Decepticons were looking for the All Spark and for Megatron. Even if they were searching blind, there were still searching. That meant there had to be a hint that they had survived the space bride accident. And if it was enough for the Decepticons, the Autobots had to make a move too, or risk the Cons getting the upper hand.

As soon as Cliffjumper returned to work, he’d start researching the space bridge malfunction. The engineering was beyond him but he was sure, with some time, he could at least get the relay reaction. Space bridges, despite their name, did have a range limit, which was why there were so many. There hadn’t been any activity within the inner ring of space bridges, meaning that if the bridge _had_ transported the All Spark and Optimus’s team and Megatron somewhere, it had to be off the more isolated space bridges, on the very edges of their galaxy.

On top of that...he knew there was a spy among the Autobot high command. Someone had told the Decepticons about Axle….and he wasn’t sure if he should tell Alpha Trion and the rest of the council that he knew that they knew. He didn’t know what foul purpose they had with Axletron in mind. He didn’t know who he could trust anymore…

End Chapter 88


	89. Fears of Youth

The instant they landed on Cybertron, Cliffjumper and Axletron were rushed by a crowd of worried bots. Perceptor and Wheeljack, Hound and Mirage, Alpha Trion, Ultra Magnus, Longarm and Kup immediately ran to them when the landing pad hit the ground.  

Axletron had woken up from his nap when they’d reentered the planet’s atmosphere and was now clinging to Cliffjumper’s shoulders, his tiny engine letting out an occasional hiccup. His nap had not been peaceful and he’d dreamed of claws and darkness most of the way home. He’d only calmed down a little more when they’d landed back on the planet, because Axletron knew there were only Autobots on Cybertron.

As Cliffjumper and his sparkling stepped off the landing pad, Hound was the first to reach them, wrapping them in a relieved hug as he exclaimed, “Cliffjumper! Axletron! Thank Primus you’re back!” Mirage joined the hug and nodded in agreement.

“We were so worried” Alpha Trion added, looking Cliffjumper and Axletron up and down for damage. He frowned when he noticed Cliffjumper’s lightly dented faceplate, the scuffs along his legs and the bent out of shape shoulder joint. Considering Ultra Magnus’s own darkening faceplate, he wasn’t the only one upset with the damage. Luckily, Axletron didn’t look hurt, though his optics were still watery.  Blurr bid them farewell, saying he’d report to Longarm the next cycle.

All together, the bots huddled the mini and his sparkling into the main building, heading single-mindedly towards Perceptor and Wheeljack’s lab and unconsciously forming a protective barrier around the two small bots. Cliffjumper, too tired from his experience, let it be.

As they entered the lab, Wheeljack was the first to speak, “Let’s get you to medical Cliff and fix you up.” Then he cast a worried look at Axletron.

Cliffjumper bit his lip. He did need medical attention, but he didn’t want Axletron there when they went over the damage. Better that he see him completely repaired without knowing how bad the damage actually was. “I’ll be there in a nano-klick” he replied. Wheeljack and Perceptor simply nodded and moved towards the private medical ward to set up. “Axle?” Cliffjumper whispered softly, rubbing the youngling’s horns soothingly, “Sweetling, how are you?”

The red sparkling simply curled deeper into Cliffjumper’s armor. “’M fine mommy…” he murmured softly.

“Can you stay with your grandpas and uncles while I get looked over by Percy and Jack or do you want to stay with me?” Cliffjumper watched the sparkling struggle over the choice for a moment, his tiny grip tightening on his mother’s arm before letting go and sagging to hug himself. With a watery look, he nodded. “I can stay.”

“Are you sure?” Cliffjumper asked uncertainly. He didn’t want to leave Axletron alone like this, but he also didn’t want to explain how he got his injures in front of him. When the sparkling nodded again, Cliffjumper handed him over to Hound with a quick kiss. “I’ll be back before you know it sweetspark.” Cliffjumper promised. Moving quickly, Cliffjumper moved towards the medical ward; Ultra Magnus, Kup and Longarm trailing behind him, leaving the sparkling with Hound, Mirage and Alpha Trion.

Hound softly rocked the sparkling back and forth as Mirage rubbed his back soothingly, both casting concerned looks at each other as the sparkling trembled every so softly.

\---

Inside the medical ward, Perceptor didn’t even let Cliffjumper hop onto the berth before asking,“ What happened Cliffjumper?”

Sighing heavily, Cliffjumper rubbed at his optics, and replied “I don’t know…We were fine for several cycles. Not even a hint of trouble and then we went for a hike and found a Decepticon Ship in the middle of an open field! I don’t know why the ship’s sensors didn’t warn me. I don’t even know how long they were there!”

Perceptor moved to scan Cliffjumper as Wheeljack said to the mini, “Tell us everything. Don’t leave anything out.”

Noticing that everybot’s optics was on him, Cliffjumper resigned himself and began, “We spotted the ship and at first I thought it was abandoned. But the landing pad started to drop so I grabbed Axle and ran back into the woods. We’d found a little waterfall earlier that cycle so I hid Axletron amongst the rocks and got the Decepticon to follow me away. But I got caught and taken back to the ship…Blitzwing and this creepy doctor, Scalpel, interrogated me for a while before I was able to escape. After that, I met up with Blurr and was able to get off the ship and head back here.”

“Damage report.” Ultra Magnus ordered, falling seamlessly into his military leader persona, even though the danger to Axletron had shaken him rather harshly.

Sensing the older bots concern, Cliffjumper nodded and recited, “My optics may need work, I got flashed with several light grenades and knocked upside the helm a few times. My shoulder joint isn’t doing too hot either.  They connected to my system so probably a hack check to be safe too. The rest is cosmetic.”

Perceptor was nodding along, tapping away at his datapad. “The damage isn’t too extensive. We can recalibrate your optics and fix your shoulder joint now.”

“And your faceplate?”  Ultra Magnus asked.

“Blitzwing did that.”

“How did you escape?” Longarm asked, speaking for the first time.

Cliffjumper looked at his superior. “They’d tied me with cables on too large a berth, I was able to wriggle out. There didn’t seem to be that many bots on board. I only ran into Oilslick when I made a break for it.” He broke gaze with the bot to watch Wheeljack remove his shoulder armor, relieving most of the pressure on the joint. “How did Blurr get to the planet so fast?”

“He was investigating a lead on the outpost Porcupine in the Decepticon Empire. It seems it was a dead end.” Longarm explained, “He would have wanted to speak to me immediately otherwise.”

“We sent him out the instant we got your distress signal.” Kup added, “He was the bot closest to your location. A real stroke of luck.”

Cliffjumper nodded and everyone fell silent as Perceptor and Wheeljack worked on him. It had been a stroke of luck, a Primus blessed one. Without Blurr, there was no knowing how the situation would have turned out. Cliffjumper may not have made it off the ship, or he may have been followed right back to Axletron. The Decepticons could have damaged their rental ship, leaving them stranded with no security that the Autobots got their signal…there were so many what ifs. And Cliffjumper knew it was only going to get worse.

Looking at his scratched up peds, Cliffjumper deliberated very carefully about what he was going to say next. He hadn’t told them about Scalpel’s spark scans, or the fact that the Decepticons knew about Axletron…and he didn’t think he should. The red minibot already knew he and Axle would be on planet-lockdown for the foreseeable future…but what he knew had the power to tear apart the government.

There was a Decepticon spy amongst them and he had no way of knowing who they were. But he did know one thing: that that bot knew that he knew. He was onto them. If he evened the playing field by telling the bots everything, Cliffjumper would lose what little advantage he had.  What’s worse, the Autobots may focus their efforts on hiding Axletron rather than finding Megatron. And if the search for Megatron ran dry, than his own search for Galvatron, which had been slow going as it was, would also meet a major roadblock. He didn’t have the resources he needed to search the universe without the Autobots, who currently had no interest in the Decepticons…so he was going to have to change that. And keep and optic out for the Decepticon spy while he did.

“Listen…” Cliffjumper added softly, breaking the contemplative silence, “before we escaped…I overheard some stuff.” Seeing that he had everybot’s attention, Cliffjumper continued. “The Decepticons are searching for Megatron and the All Spark; all of his top lieutenants and generals."

Ultra Magnus, Longarm and Wheeljack immediately frowned. Even Perceptor raised an eyebrow ridge in curiosity. “But why?” Longarm asked, “There was no hint that the bots or the All Spark survived. There has to be a mistake.”

“No” Cliffjumper said with a hard shake of his head, “I heard them, they said they were going to search the Zeta quadrant next. Which means they’ve already _been_ searching, maybe ever since the accident.” Cliffjumper looked up at his leader with as much solemnity as he could muster, “Ultra Magnus…if the Decepticons are looking for them…there has to be a hint that they could have survived…Something we missed or overlooked, something they could have gotten from their own systems…Optimus and his crew…they may still be out there…the All Spark may still be out there.”

Magnus’ grip on his hammer tightened, his brow darkening in thought.

“How do we know they were telling the truth?” Longarm interjected, “They could have said all that just for Cliffjumper to hear. They could be setting us up on a wild cyber-goose chase, hoping we’ll lead them straight to the All Spark outselves.” While Longarm was trying to act skeptical, Shockwave was growing concerned. He’d reached out to his fellow Decepticons in an effort to get more information about Galvatron’s relationship the mini, not to give the mini and upper hand. The search for Megatron and the All Spark had been limited to the upper ring of the Decepticons, those still loyal to their leader. So long as the Autobots didn’t know the search was on, they could act unencumbered, attracting little attention and spreading their reach far. They’d not been idle, while the search was ongoing, at every stop they added to their army with new enlistments, working under the Autobot’s disinterested gaze. It would be an unpleasant and potentially threatening wrench in their plans if the Autobots got back to work and turned their gaze on the remaining Decepticons.

Kup didn’t seem to buy it though. He nibbled on the end of his deactivated cy-gar. “It’s a huge risk, I’ll admit, but on the off chance the Decepticons are onto something, we’ll lose a lot more if we _don’t_ act.”

“If the Cons somehow find the All Spark or even just Megatron, we’ll be in a really bad position.” Wheeljack added.

With a glance at the still closed door, Ultra Magnus thought of Axletron and his surprise encounter and made his decision. “If there’s even the slightest chance the All Spark can be found or that Megatron remains online, we have to act” he declared.  “Kup, I’d like you to assemble and head a team to search for the All Spark.”

The old military bot nodded in agreement. “I’ll have a list of bots for you at the next council meeting.”

“Now” Ultra Magnus added, “back to this event. What are the chances that this was not a random accident but a deliberate plot?”

Perceptor answered, “One in 122,607. The Decepticons have no knowledge of Axletron or his origins. Even Cliffjumper’s position wouldn’t warrant this sort of attention on such a short notice.”

“I really don’t think it was a great plot Ultra Magnus” Cliffjumper replied, feeling his insides clench at the lie. “It had to have been a coincidence.”

“A very unlucky one that shall not happen again if we can help it” Ultra Magnus spoke with a grim frown.

\---

Outside the medical room, in the main lab, Mirage, Hound and Alpha Trion were trying to keep Axletron calm.  The sparkling was holding on desperately to Hounds neck, but the longer and longer Cliff stayed away the harder the sparkling’s trembling became.

“Come now, Axletron” Mirage pleaded, “It’s alright now, you’re safe back on Cybertron. Just breath sparkling.” Softly, he rubbed the youngling’s back.

“No one’s going to hurt you here Axletron” Hound added, “You know you and your mamma are safe here.”

“Perceptor and Wheeljack will fix Cliffjumper up with no problem Axle” Alpha Trion added, “You will both be fine, safe and sound we promise you. We’ll keep you safe, just like Cliffjumper kept you safe—”

It was then that the floodgates burst and tears started to stain the sparkling’s usually cheery face.  “I couldn’t help him!” Axletron sobbed, “He’s my mommy and I couldn’t help him!”

“Oh, sparkling, no!” Mirage whispered, rubbing the back of the sparkling’s helm. “You are still young, not yet a warrior. It is not your duty to protect others but to stay safe and let us protect you, though we have failed.”

But the sparkling merely shook his head in denial, burying himself deeper into Hound’s shoulder, deaf to all protests. “What if I-I’d lost him?” Axletron cried, harsh hiccups making it difficult to understand him. “I would have been left a-all alone!” Axletron had thought about a lot in his hiding place, waiting for his mother to reappear. How he was the only sparkling around. How he was small. How he still didn’t know a lot of things. How his mother was the only one connected to him by code, the only one that would always be there. How his uncles and grandpas could forget him and he’d be left alone. So many horrible what if’s to think about and consider, all because he was too small and weak and tiny to keep his mom safe from bad guys….

Moving quickly, Hound gently tugged Axletron away from his chassis and sat him down on a chair to look him in the optic. “Axletron, now you listen to me. Your mother is a strong bot, he can take care of himself. You are still a sparkling, it is not your responsibility to protect those older and stronger than you.” Hound took a deep inhale before adding, “And more importantly, we love you; every one of us. And we will always be there to support you and help you, if not in person than in spirit. You’re not alone; we won’t let you be alone.” Axletron’s optics began to glimmer again with desperate hope and Hound added, without a hint of doubt, “I promise.”

Reaching for his uncle, Axletron lost himself in another hug, thankful and fearful all at the same time, wanting desperately to believe his uncle Hound, but also afraid of things out of his control…like the Decepticons. “But…what if the Decepticons come back…” he whispered.

It was then that Alpha Trion spoke up. “Then we will stand against them.”  He answered. “You are still young Axle, but I know that you have what it takes to be a strong warrior, just like Ultra Magnus, and Kup and even Cliffjumper. Someday, with the proper training, you will be strong enough to protect those that matter most…trust me.”

The sparkling simply nodded with unusual somberness. “I’ll train hard Grampa Trion. I’ll get strong enough protect Mommy. No matter what.” Axletron declared. He’d become strong enough to beat any Decepticon that came his way! He would never let his mom get hurt protecting him again. Never.

“That’s a lad!” Alpha Trion replied with a pleased smile, patting the sparkling softly on the helm.

Hound and Mirage exchanged another concerned look, feeling a large hint of unease at Alpha Trion’s words...but they held their glossas and waited patiently with Alpha Trion and Axletron until Cliffjumper and the others returned, with the intention of going over their apprehensions with Cliffjumper …but when the bots returned with news of the Decepticon’s actions their worries were pushed back to the recesses of their processors in the midst of the assembling of a team to solve the Space Bridge mystery and search for the All Spark, the research on Decepticon activities and efforts to improve Decepticons capture rates and soon, Alpha Trion’s passing words were forgotten to all but him and Axletron…

End Chapter 89

 

 


	90. A New Path

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All information comes from the All Spark Almanac II

After the “D’Hoonnib incident” as everybot had taken to calling it, Axletron and Cliffjumper were lost in a flurry of activity. Axletron threw himself into his training, learning Circuit-Su and Metallikato as such a breakneck pace that even Jazz was amazed and added Tekkaido and Crystalocution to their training regimen. Alpha Trion was especially enthusiastic about Axletron’s newfound dedication and increased the time they spent going over the Autobot Code and Creed.    Soon, the youngling had a schedule to match his mother’s.

Almost immediately, Kup had formed the team to solve what happened to the Spacebridge and find Optimus’s team and most importantly, the All Spark and Cliffjumper had been one of its first members. With access to the space bridge, knowledge of Decepticon activity and more time than the Head of Cybertronian Intel, it didn’t really surprise anyone that the bot was on the team. Perceptor had agreed to take some time off from his projects to help everyone understand some of the more technical details of Space Bridges.

And Kup had invited Cosmos and a former cadet of his to the team as well. While Cosmos was there for map support, Rodimus Prime was to be their ground support. He’d be the bot to actually go on site, to get out and gather information, either with Cosmos or Blurr or solo. Everyone else was basically grounded, especially Cliffjumper…really just Cliffjumper, the others could leave if they wanted.

Whatever the case, there was a lot of work to do. Proof that the Decepticons were not only out there, but active forced everybot out of their peaceful routine. While many, like Kup and Ultra Magnus fell back to work with effortless purpose, others, like Hound and Wheeljack were reluctant to let go of their semi-peaceful lifestyle. Still, keeping that same lifestyle was enough motivation to step back into their war peds.

The team began by examining the last activity reports from Omega Supreme, before the ship seemingly blinked out of existence. The systems had begun reading critical after an explosion nearly blew up the hull of the ship. Damage repair had been activated, which meant the bots hadn’t suffered _too_ much damage. The explosion had been credited to enemy fire, but the ship’s radars had _also_ registered a life force on the roof of the ship, right where the explosion took place. It had to be Megatron, but even _he_ couldn’t have made it through an explosion strong enough to damage the hull of a space-grade ship _without_ injury, so he couldn’t have been the one to fire it. There had to been an accidental fire from _The Nemesis_ , or maybe even unfriendly fire. It was no secret after all that Starscream was a power-hungry slagger after all. Still, that was a mystery to solve later, after they found the bots.

Cosmos brought his extensive star charts, projecting them into a large hollo screen in the middle of a large conference table. They were highlighted with miniature space bridges to show where the farthest were located. Perceptor was able to calculate the maximum distance a ship like Omega Supreme could travel if it were thrown full speed through one and each space bridge had a circle revealing the range.

Unfortunately, spaces bridges were scattered throughout the galaxy. Some had been built before the establishment of the Autobot Commonwealth, which meant they remained (if not functional) whole in enemy territory. Several still existed on the edges of the Nebulon Republic and even in what was now the Quintesson Pan Galactic Co-prosperity Sphere. Beyond that however, there were literally hundreds of unexplored planets, a fair amount of them organic.  

“Well, we know they can’t have landed anywhere on this side of Stone Place” Cliffjumper offered, “We’d have gotten some sort of sign, especially if the All Spark was still active”

Perceptor nodded in agreement, “There would have been word if they landed anywhere between here and the Decepticon Empire. Even the uninhabited, organic planets have emergency communication towers for stranded bots.”

“Well, that eliminates many of our options” Cosmos added, and after a few clicks, crossed out a good chunk of the space bridges on the screen. The rest remained on the outer edges of Vox territory, beyond Stone Place and the Benzuli Expanse.

With a considering nod, Rodimus spoke up, “I think we can eliminate any robotic planets. If there was machinery, the crew could have rigged up a transmitter or communication beacon. Standard Academy protocol. If Megatron or any other Decepticons went along for the trip, they would have done the same.”

“Agreed” Kup replied, nodding at Cosmos to adjust the charts once again. They were left with various organic planets, ranging from the Galran Khanganete to the Dark Nebula and Alpha Q’s Realm.

Cliffjumper, in the privacy of his own thoughts, could only think that his own search would have gone a lot smoother with more bots to help, but of course that was just folly.

“Well” Kup inserted, “We’ve got an area to work with at least. Now we just need to figure out how a space bride could have been activated without Autobot control.”

“Actually” Cliffjumper added, “I think I have an idea about that.” The mini turned to Perceptor. “Before the space bridge was activated, there was a large spike in energy registering on the ship’s systems. Could it have been possible that the All Spark was activated and opened up the space bridge?”

Perceptor seemed to mull it over, performing various calculations on his pad. “It is possible. The All Spark, while not exactly sentient, _is_ aware. If it felt danger it could have acted to escape it. It is, after all, a vessel to Primus himself.”

Cosmos rubbed his face plate in contemplation. On the over large chair, he peds swung side to side. “If the All Spark reacted to help Optimus’ team, why has it not helped them again? It’s the most powerful source of energy we know, surely that could help them contact us for help.”

“It could be possible that they can’t reach it.” Rodimus replied. “They were going up against Megatron after all. They’re just repair bots. The fact that Megatron hasn’t returned with it either could mean that what ever happened to them, happened to him too…or that they all perished.” He added solemnly.

Kup frowned heavily, and quickly switched on his cy-gar for a quick drag before shutting it off again. Despite the fact that Cliffjumper was no longer carrying, it still felt odd to smoke around him, especially when he remembered that the mini went to Axle every day anyway. “We won’t know for sure till we find them” he said firmly, effectively ending that dark train of thought. “Now, is there any way we can narrow this down further?”

With a sad shake of his head, the red minibot spoke with some reluctance, “The space bridge nexus registered the space bridge that activated, but there wasn’t another to show they went through. That could mean that the system was overloaded from the energy and didn’t register the transfer or that they came out of an inactive space bridge that isn’t connected to our systems but still functions. On top of that, we don’t know which bridges out of our system need repairs and which are entirely shot.”

Everyone looked to Perceptor as the microscope looked through his notes, “We may be able to send a current through the main space bridge nexus and see which bridges respond. If they still have functional capabilities, they should register the wavelength that links all the space bridges. It would draw attention though.”

All of the bots turned their gaze back to their leader. Kup simple shook his head, “No, better not to risk it. The Cons don’t know we’re looking. I’d rather it stayed that way. We’ll have to do this the hard way.” He added with a sigh. “Cosmos, can you go out and check the space bridges, just to see if they’re standing or not?”

 “I’m set to go on another mission in a few mega-cycles” Cosmos confirmed, “I’ll check out any space bridges on the way to see how good a shape they’re in.”

“Keep an optic open in space as well.” Perceptor said firmly.

His words startled Cliffjumper harshly, “Could they be floating around somewhere in space!?” he asked suddenly.

“It is unlikely” Perceptor explained, “All of the space bridges were built in close proximity to important planets. The speed at which the ship was traveling and the proximity of the space bridges to planets of moderate size and gravity almost guarantees their landing.”

It was a small comfort, but one Cliffjumper clung to. Abandonment and death in space was a horrible way to go. Better to crash land on a rock than float endlessly in space.

“Right.” Kup replied with a hint of strain. “In the meantime” he said, turning to Rodimus, “We’ll get you a team and you guys can head out to investigate the space bridges one at a time.”

“I recommend you start in the Benzuli expanse before moving to the Kvi Cluster” Perceptor added, “They’re closest to the Decepticon Empire, and if the All Spark ends up on any of those planets, the Decepticons will find sooner rather than later.”

Rodimus nodded, “Who’s the crew?”

Cliffjumper immediately accessed the files of bots that applied for off planet work and some experience under their belts.

“You’ll need a medic” Cosmos said right away, pointing out the file for a medi-bot. “I’ve worked with Red Alert before. She’s good, works fast and stays calm under pressure. And she’s had…experience…with Decepticons.”

“She’d be a good fit” Kup agreed, “Help keep these hot rods focused” he said with a smirk at Rodimus as he prickled over his old name.

With a small laugh, Cliffjumper spoke up next. “You can’t have enough muscle in space. Brawn is as strong as they get, I know him from Hound. I think he’d be a good addition.”

Kup nodded once again and pulled the files out to the main screen. “That’s three. Plus Rodimus, four.”

“Studies have shown that a five-bot crew perform best. I advise the addition of one more member” Perceptor interjected.

“One more then.”

“Actually…” Rodimus spoke up, pulling up a file. “I’d like this bot on the team.” The file showed a small yellow and blue bot with a visor and broad shoulders. He was a recent graduate, barely an ano-cycle off cadet status. He had good speed readings and seemed to have a talent for repair, but he was still a rookie. “I know he’s young, but I think he’d be useful. He’s got…something…” he mumbled.

Cliffjumper shared a glance with the others, and shrugged in agreement, it was Rodimus’ team, he could have whoever he wanted.

“All right” Kup replied, adding the file kid’s file to the main screen with the others. “Red Alert, Brawn and Hot Shot are your new crew members. We can set you up on the CSS Athenia. Your mission is to investigate the organic planets in range of the space bridges where Optimus and he crew could have crash landed with the All Spark. No one is to know about your search for the All Spark. As far as the public is concerned, this is research and study, got it?”

The flame decorated speedster nodded solemnly. “I’ll get the team ready and set.”

“I’ll prepare some star charts for you” Cosmos said frankly.

“Wheeljack and I will make sure your ship is up to date and ready” Perceptor added.

“I’ll get you a route for the space bridges” Cliffjumper declared.

“And I’ll make sure you’re weapons are up to scale” Kup finished. “You ship out in a deca-cycle. We’ll meet again and discuss your findings after ever two space bridge investigations. Any questions” he asked looking around. “None? Good. Meeting adjourned, we got work to do.”

End Chapter 90

 

 


	91. When Push Comes to Shove

Galvatron was worried. Very worried.

He stood out in front of his cave, staring at the stars, scanning them for any sign of life…but all was still around him.

It’d been some time some time since Megatron had last come to visit him. Several ano-cycles in fact. Even when Megatron was in the middle of fighting a war, he would still call…. His son was a bit of a worrier by nature and called him with almost military like precision, at least once a deca-cycle. But the lines had been completely black for too long now. Something was wrong…

“Maybe he finally kicked the bucket…” Cliffjumper spoke out, breaking the silence. Flinching at the voice, Galvatron turned to look at the entrance of his cave, dreading what he’d see. Cliffjumper was in once piece today, leaning against the wall of the cave, arms crossed over his chassis. “That’s the second child you’ve lost…” Cliffjumper added.  

“He’s not offline…” Galvatron protested, “Someone would have told me. I would have heard.”

“Oh?” Cliffjumper asked with a teasing smirk, “How? Hardly anyone knows you’re out here. Your only regular visitors are Megatron and Swindle, whenever the rat feels like talking about old strongholds where he can get a quick antique to sell for an every quicker cred.”

Frowning, Galvatron stalked past the smaller bot and made his way to his communications console. As he sat down on the large chair, Cliffjumper appeared next to the console, sitting on the desk, his short legs swinging back and forth. Galvatron cringed at the picture, what he wouldn’t give for it to be real…but he couldn’t think like that right now.  Inputting a code he’d never before used, Galvatron pulled himself together, blocking out Cliffjumper and thinking only about Megatron, something he actually had a lot of practice in. After some tense nano-kliks the screen revealed a very confused looking Longarm Prime. His blue optics glowed dimly, but the orb on his forehead flashed in shock.

Obviously surprised, Longarm stuttered, “M-My Lord! One moment please.” He looked away for an instant and Galvatron heard the locking mechanism of a door. An instant later, Longarm’s boxy features lengthened into Shockwave’s more familiar faceplate.  “How may I serve you Lord Galvatron?” he asked formally.

“Where is Megatron?” Galvatron asked, the slightest hint of a growl in his tone.

“He is searching for the All Spark my Lord.” Shockwave replied in a rush, “We have lost contact with him, but those loyal to him remain certain of his goal and return.”  

“Well that sound promising” Cliffjumper sneered leaning over to look into the screen, “You warlords just _breed_ loyalty after all, don’t you?”

Forcing himself not to shrink under the words, Galvatron instead asked, “How did you lose contact with him?”

Galvatron hadn’t been able to keep his gaze from shifting to the minibot for an instant before returning to Shockwave, and the spy noticed the odd shift in gaze, though he didn’t understand it. He’d checked the windows behind him, all were blocked. There wasn’t anything on his screen besides the purple military mech’s façade.  Shockwave hadn’t had much experience with Galvatron. He knew the bot, recognized him as the father of his lord, but he hadn’t served under him and was feeling more than a bit out of his depth talking to him. Galvatron hadn’t involved himself with Decepticon affairs since his son had taken over after all. Still, he replied, “The All Spark was found by an Autobot repair crew and Lord Megatron attempted to retrieve it. There was a battle and they accidentally traveled through a Space Bridge to an unknown location. Rest assured we are searching for him, and I am keeping an optic on the Autobot’s activities as well.”

It was then that a spark seemed to enter Galvatron’s dim optics. “The Autobots are also searching?”

“…I’m afraid they caught wind of our search efforts after a botched hostage attempt.” Shockwave admitted reluctantly, hoping Galvatron wouldn’t ask about who exactly they had been holding. Without Megatron, it was best to keep his mission with Cliffjumper and Axletron under the rug.

“No.” Galvatron responded, thankfully glossing over the hostage comment, the fog in his mind clearing a bit as a plan formed. “We can use this. Two groups searching will find something twice as fast, we simply need to be there when they find it.”

Blinking his optic once in surprise at the sound idea, Shockwave nodded in agreement and added, “A Prime is searching for the All Spark planet by planet—”

“Send Strika to tail them.” Galvatron ordered, “They are not to engage, but wait until the opportunity to gain the All Spark appears. If this is to work, they _must_ stay out of sight.”

“I understand my liege” Shockwave replied, “I will relay the orders to General Strika as soon as possible.”

“…That simply leaves the problem of Magnus…” Galvatron murmured. Magnus had always been a thorn in Galvatron’s side, but he wasn’t a fool. If he focused too closely on the Prime’s team, he could notice even the smallest hint of Strika’s efforts. There had to be a way to distract him, maybe even get him off Cybertron…That was it! 

Cliffjumper’s faceplate melted into a disgusted scowl as Galvatron’s face plate slide into a smirk that made him look eons younger. Thinking, plotting, had woken him up a bit from his melancholy. “…Do we still control Garo, that planet next to the Autobot Colony?”

“Yes.”

Galvatron nodded in approval. “Good. Attack Com. It’s been a while since the Decepticons have actively attacked something so obviously Autobot. Ultra Magnus will likely feel the need to respond personally, it should get him off planet for a while, giving you more influence on the council.”

In his office on Cybertron, Shockwave felt his processor boggle even as he nodded in agreement. Was this bot really insane? He seemed so intelligent, so capable! This was the mech that had taught Megatron to be a master strategist sitting before him! In the absence of the Magnus, the counsel ran the planet, splitting responsibility between the guilds and he controlled the intel department! With Magnus gone, Longarm could stretch his reach a little more, take greater control of the Intel systems on Cybertron, without big bot looking over his shoulder plates! Full, unobserved access to every file on Cybertron and beyond would be at his claw-tips!

 “Get Swindle” Galvatron added suddenly. “He’s traversed more of the universe than anybot, he may have some connections or contacts we could use.”

“My lord…”Shockwave asked with a hint of awe, “will you be retaking the reigns as leader of the Decepticons…?”

Galvatron optics blinked at the question but Cliffjumper’s ghost merely sneered, “Feel like knocking up and killing a few more Autobots _Axle_?”

The mini’s voice made Galvatron recoil from the screen as though struck. “…No!” he yelped, more to Cliffjumper than Shockwave. Swallowing thickly, he spoke softly, “No… I shall not lead the Decepticons again.”

Concerned at the warlord’s sudden timidity, Shockwave moved to protest, “But—”

“Find my son, Shockwave” Galvatron snapped, cutting off the spy’s protests. “That’s your mission.” The purple mech waited only until Shockwave nodded in agreement before cutting the call.  

…

Back on Cybertron, Shockwave kept his door locked as he made a few more calls. One was to Strika. The general was pleased with her new mission, and immediately set off to prepare. The next call was to Swindle. The bot had to be the easiest person to contact in the universe.

Almost instantly, the screen was filled with Swindle’s blocky faceplate and large purple optics. “Shockwave! What a pleasant surprise!” Swindle greeted brightly, his sales-bot smile on full blast.

Shockwave merely nodded in greeting and got straight to the point. “You’ve heard about Lord Megatron no doubt.”

Swindles smile faded and his voice softened in sympathy, “Ah, yes, lost one of my best customers and so unjustly too.”

“We need you to find him.”

Purple optics blinked rapidly in confusion for a moment before Swindle found his voice again, “He’s online?”

Shockwave may not have much of a faceplate but he was sure he was able to translate his disdain at the question when he arched his brow ridge. “Those _loyal_ to him believe so.” he emphasized. “ You have more connections in the universe than any other bot. We need you to find him.”  

“Search and rescue?” Swindle asked with more than a hint of reluctant disbelief, “Not really my area of expertise Shockwave.”

“Lord Galvatron recommended you.”

Swindle suddenly perked up with interest, “Galvatron?” he asked with a hint of awe. After a moment his faceplate-splitting smile was back, “Well that changes things! I know just the bot; best bounty hunter around! It the bot’s out there, he can find them, for the right price. I’ll get you a discount!”

Shockwave’s optic glowed in confusion, “You’re suddenly so accommodating, Swindle.”

“Anything for my favorite warmonger” Swindle replied with a smile and a chuckle. He used that line with everyone, but when he said it about Galvatron it held a bit more truth. He’d met and served under Galvatron during the first war, back when he was still part of a gestalt team. When his team mates went offline and he was the only one left, it had been Galvatron that stepped in and helped him find his peds again, giving him a job to do that eventually lead to what he was doing now, traveling the universe for products he could make a profit off of. It was a great gig, one he wouldn’t have gotten if Galvatron had let him fall into his own dark pit after his team. He still stopped by to talk to the bot on his private planet, get tips on new sites and relax. He hadn’t done that in ages it seemed. Hopefully this little favor would help even the ledger.

He’d call Lockdown in. He was sure he could negotiate a nice reward with Blitzwing or Lugnut for the bounty-hunter, and he was sure to get a cut for sending Lockdown their way. And while he was there, maybe he could catch up with Magnificus. The Perceptor-clone was more interested in politics than science, but every now and then he came up with something useful that Swindle could then sell.

“Leave it to me! My guy will be in touch.” Swindle said at last, pausing only long enough to hear Shockwave tell him to go to Blitzwing and Lugnut directly before disconnecting the call. Yes, this had the potential to become a very lucrative venture and all thanks to his favorite warmonger.  

End chapter 91

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little allusion to the Lugnut and Blitzwing story in The Arrival comic, hehe 
> 
> The original title for this chapter was Rocking the Boat, why did I change it? No real reason I suppose.


	92. Trouble on the Horizon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey All! Sorry for the delay with this chapter. RL has been crazy lately. Hope you enjoy it! Thank you for reading!

A few mega-cycles after Rodimus and his crew set out, there was a Decepticon attack on the Autobot colony Com. While precariously close to the Decepticon planet Garo, there hadn’t been any issues between the two colonies since the end of the war. That the Decepticons would be so bold as to try and pull an Autobot planet into their Empire was concerning, and public opinion called for immediate action. Which was why the entirety of the Autobot Council was called for a meeting; even Dai Atlas attended as the new head of the Cyber-Ninja Corps!

As Cliffjumper and Longarm made their way to the Metroplex, the mini released a heavy sigh. “Another meeting” he grumbled, “as if we aren’t busy enough.”

With a charming chuckle, Longarm smiled lightly and nodded, “It’d be better if the Space bridges weren’t in such a sad state.”  

“We can’t even form a new repair crew.” Cliffjumper said morosely. “We may be able to get a ship, but Bulkhead was the only one with the skills to actually repair the bridges. No one else has tested high enough to warrant full certification without secondary support.”  

A familiar weight suddenly pushed down on Cliffjumper from behind. “We don’t need those repair bots” Sentinel said haughtily, throwing an arm over Cliffjumper. Sentinel had been at the Autobot Academy in Praxis during the D’Hoonnib incident, and no one had seen the point of informing him about it when he got back. To be completely honest, Cliffjumper simply didn’t trust Sentinel anymore. The bot had stabbed his best friend, the bot he’d literally been with since they were forged, in the back, thrown him under the space-bus and never looked back. Cliffjumper wasn’t going to show his back to Sentinel anytime soon, and while he still spoke with the bot, they had lost much of their former comradery, though Sentinel didn’t seem to notice.

“Sentinel” Cliffjumper greeted, “I didn’t know you’d be sitting in on this meeting.”

“Ultra Magnus asked for my presence” Sentinel boasted, tilting his head in a way that made his chin look even bigger than usual.

Another voice suddenly broke in, “Same here.”

Cliffjumper looked up to find Jazz and smiled, “Hey Jazz, how are you?”

“Pretty good Cliff, can’t complain” Jazz responded with an easy grin, “Know what this is about?”

“Deceptions attacked Com” Longarm explained, “We need to retaliate before the public loses faith in us.”

“About time we saw some action!” Sentinel replied enthusiastically and strutted ahead of them to the main room.

The remaining three exchanged nervous looks and with a roll of their eyes followed at a more sedate pace. “Why would the Decepticons suddenly strike now?” Jazz asked. “Megatron’s gone, so is Screamer; there’s no clear leader and they don’t have the All Spark…”

“Could someone have stepped up?” Cliffjumper wondered out loud. “If they have, why Com? It’s hardly an Autobot stronghold, really little more than a trading post…”

“Maybe they’re testing us…” Longarm murmured.

The thought only made the minibot frown in worry and they silently parted from Jazz to find their seats. As the meeting started up, Ultra Magnus called everyone to attention. “You’ve all heard of the attack on Com. This act of violence cannot go unanswered.”

Alpha Trion rose to speak, “The public is already calling for action. If the Decepticons can take a colony without contest, what is stopping them from becoming bolder…?”

Ultra Magnus nodded in understanding. “It is crucial at this time to take the initiative. I will head a small team of elite guard members to traverse the entirety of the Autobot commonwealth, snuffing out Decepticon forces wherever they may venture too close.” A few approving mutterings fluttered through the air. “I’ve selected Jazz and Sentinel Prime to join me on this venture.”

The two bots rose from their seats. Jazz bowed respectfully as Sentinel Prime stood haughty and proud. Ultra Magnus nodded at them before continuing, “We will travel abroad the Steelhaven. Should any emergency occur, the council will be in charge until we can return. We will be in regular contact, and will keep our own communication lines open for emergencies.” It was here that Ultra Magnus paused and looked to Kup, “Should Rodimus Prime and his team find something solid, my team will take control of their mission.”

Kup nodded in agreement and Cliffjumper couldn’t help but think it was for the best. Rodimus had a lot of his plate _looking_ for the All Spark, to have to protect and bring it back to Cybertron as well was a daunting task for anyone. And Cliffjumper couldn’t keep his processor from straying to Optimus. Optimus had been talented and strong…but even one of the Academy’s most promising students couldn’t stand up to Megatron and the Decepticons. For all their schooling, they were still rookies. Best to leave these things in the servos of bots that had more experience…it was safer that way.

///

That night, Cliffjumper sat with Axletron on their sofa, sharing a plate of warm energon goodies between them as a pre-bedtime snack. After their day, the red mini really felt like they deserved them.

The sparkling had just finished telling him about his day; how he’d learned about circuit breakers and energy flow with Wheeljack. How Alpha Trion had told him about the origins of transformers as slaves of the Quintessons and how they must always fight against those that wish to oppress others. And there had also been an interesting game of hide and seek with Hound and Mirage, who had taken care of him while the rest of his teachers were in the meeting.

Axletron’s lessons in the ninja-arts were on hiatus until they could find a new teacher. Cliffjumper wondered briefly if Warpath would be any good as a teacher. While Axletron was still small, Cliffjumper didn’t think he’d get his mother’s minibot frame, it would be best if he learned how to fight like a large mech now after all…he’d likely grow as large as Galvatron.

Ah Galvatron…it was during peaceful moments like this that Cliffjumper missed the purple warlord the most. These soft little moments where he couldn’t help by think that he should be lying against a broad chassis…or listening to senseless chatter between Axle and his father, or playfully fighting over the last energon goodie. To think he would ever long for domesticity! Him! The same bot that had rolled his optics and fled whenever his parents started making goo-goo optics at each other!

Frowning, Cliffjumper managed to glare at the wall long enough that Axletron eventually tapped on his arm and held out the last cookie, “Here Mommy!” he said brightly, “you can have the last one! You don’t need to be grumpy”

Bursting out laughing, Cliffjumper hugged his sparkling closely. “Oh Sweetspark! Never change! You are just perfect!”

“Mommy!” Axletron huffed, though it lost some of its strength with his giggles.

“Here” Cliffjumper added, splitting the goodie in half, “We can share it.”

“Because sharing is caring right?” Axletron asked as he stuffed the rest of the energon goodie in his mouth.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Cliffjumper nodded and grabbed hold of the sparkling, picking him up as he got off the sofa. “Exactly right! Now it’s time for bed.”

“But Mooooommy, I’m not tired!” Axletron protested.

“Don’t you want to learn what happened to Will-Turn after he met up with the space pirates of the Caribe Nebula?” Cliffjumper asked slyly. Smirking as Axletron hoped off the sofa and rushed up the steps. “Make sure you brush your denta first!” Cliffjumper called out after him, picking up their plate and napkins and taking them to the sink. Washing the plate quickly, he listened to the upstairs sink water run as he walked up the steps, thoughts straying once more to his wayward warlord. 

The search for the Warlord had hit a very thick wall. Cliffjumper had run his sources dry and couldn’t figure out how get more. He couldn’t go out and investigate like Rodimus’ team. He knew Galvatron was in the Decepticon Empire…but he didn’t know how he was managing to stay hidden. Cliffjumper really doubted that a planet’s worth of Decepticons could keep him a secret, even if they were loyal. Things like that tended to slip out sooner or later, and they’ve had several thousand stellar-cycles to blow that secret.

As he reached the top floor, Cliffjumper watched a little red blurr fly past him and jump onto the bed. Chuckling, Cliffjumper turned off the bathroom lights and moved towards the sparkling’s door. Axletron had plopped himself under the blankets, and was shifting about excitedly, holding a data pad in his tiny servos.

“Let me see, where did we leave off…here we go!” Cliffjumper started, finding their bookmark, “Will-Turn could only watch in horror as the pirate ship flew farther and farther into space, taking his best friend and crush Swan  with it. How could he follow? He didn’t have a ship of his own, and even if he did, he didn’t know where they were going!”

Axletron let out a little whine or distress for Will-Turn’s plight.

“But suddenly, Will-Turn remembered the pirate they’d captured earlier, the one still in the brig! Running swiftly for the jail, Will-Turn burst into main room and stopped before the Pirate’s cell, ‘they’ve taken her!’ he cried! But the pirate didn’t seem to listen to him. Instead, he continued to lie on the ground until Will-Turn was forced to ask if he’d been heard.

“They’re going to team up!” Axle exclaimed happily!

“Why do you say that sweet spark?” Cliffjumper asked with genuine curiosity. He knew Axletron was smart, but he was also pretty crazy with his thoughts. He could go from thinking about cookies and suddenly coming up with a new ninja move.

“Because he wants to find Swan” Axle replied matter-of-factly, “and she’s with the pirates, so he has to find the pirates and only another pirate would know where they would go.”

Cliffjumper smiled softly and nodded, “You’re absolutely right” he replied before continuing the story. Axletron made it till the pirates had found a ship before he drifted off. Shifting the sparkling off his shoulder, Cliffjumper pulled the covers over his son, rubbing his horns soothingly. After a few moments of just basking in the peace of his son sleeping, Cliffjumper headed back downstairs, leaving the door agar, just in case.

Back downstairs, Cliffjumper went to his office, turning on the lights and looking on his piles of maps and data charts. What was the point of all this information without a lead? After he’d run his last lead dry, Cliffjumper had tried to find a supply route again, something that could point the way to Galvatron, but it was much harder to find a full grown bot than it was to find a sparkling, and he’d hit a dead end.

What really irked Cliffjumper off though, was the fact that he _knew_ Galvatron was in the Decepticon empire, he _knew_ in his spark…but he couldn’t do anything about it. For all his charts, he wasn’t a Decepticon and he wasn’t a strategist either.

Then his thoughts drifted for a moment to Axletron, and what he’d said about Will-Turn joining up with the pirates…Cliffjumper couldn’t think like a Decepticon, for all he tried to…but he needed information, and who better to find a Decepticon, than another Decepticon?

…Cliffjumper needed a spy. Someone who could go and sneak around the Decepticon empire without looking suspicious. Someone who wouldn’t question him, but wouldn’t betray him either. Cliffjumper whimpered and let his helm meet his desk with a bit more force than necessary. Why could things never be simple?

What would he even he tell them? _Hey, find Galvatron for me, I know he’s there_? The red mini really doubted that would go over well.  But what other options where there? Mercenaries? Former cons? Double agents? Creds my not be much of an issue, but he still had an identity to keep! This crazy scheme could just as easily turn around and bite him in the aft!

…but it could also be his best chance. Cliffjumper just knew the next few vorns would be ripe with possibilities. With Ultra Magnus gone, decisions fell upon the council. Kup and the team were still in regular contact with Rodimus, but the Athenia team had yet to find anything besides a new species of sharkitron like fish on planet. If there was ever a time to act, it was now! When less people were watching and everyone was focusing on their own stuff.

On top of that, Cliffjumper knew there was a spy in the ranks, a spy that knew about Axletron, and Galvatron no doubt. Maybe, if the spy saw Cliffjumper move, he’d show his own servo too. Cliffjumper had something the spy wanted, though the mini wasn’t sure what just yet, it was better than nothing. That spy wouldn’t blow his cover to rat out Cliffjumper, not when he didn’t know the whole story...

Gripping a space chart tightly in his fist, Cliffjumper stared with grim determination as his tabletop. There was no other way. He needed optics on the ground, charts and inventories couldn’t take him any farther. He needed a spy, and he had a pretty good idea where he could get one!

The next  mega-cycle, Cliffjumper invited Sideswipe over.  If anybot knew who to talk to for information is was the older enforcer. Cliffjumper could pass it off as Intel business. Besides, the lambo twin hadn’t seen Axletron in mega-cycles and Cliff was sure that Axle would love to hear some of the enforcer’s stories.  

End Chapter 92


	93. Time Flies

One night, Cliffjumper and Axletron were reading a story on the sofa. The sparkling’s usual mess sat around them, waiting for the sparkling to fall asleep so Cliffjumper could clean up. Axle was drowsing off on Cliffjumper’s arm, the book shared between them. Soon, the sparkling would doze off, Cliff would grab Axle a cube of energon and take the sleepy sparkling upstairs to brush his denta and get tucked in. Then he’d come back down and clean up before doing some research and heading to bed.  

But when they finished the story, and Cliffjumper slipped away for a moment to grab the cube of energon, he came back to the shocking sight of his seven ano-cycle old son picking up his toys. His head was nodding, making it obvious that he was sleepy, but he persisted, grabbing the toys and shuffling them back into the toy box, picking up pads and stylus and sliding them back into the shelves.

Cliffjumper just stared, “Uh…Axletron?”

The sparkling paused as he tried to stuff all of his color styluses into a too small box to look up at him, his optics dim with sleepiness. “Hmm?”

Smiling despite his confusion, Cliffjumper steered the sparkling towards the steps, “Come on sweetspark, time for bed.”

“M’kay” Axletron mumbled, stumbling up the stairs. Cliffjumper followed, watching as the sparkling drank his energon, brushed his denta and crawled into bed, shuffling under the covers.

The two red bots enjoyed the silence for a moment, Cliffjumper petting his sparkling’s horns soothingly, before kissing his helm and whispering, “Good night Axletron.”

On his way out, he turned on the night light, lighting up the rooms with glowing stars, when Axletron called out, “You can turn the light off mom.”

Cliffjumper couldn’t keep his optics from shuttering in surprise. “What?” Axletron loved the nightlights! He’d never been able to go to sleep _without_ them! He’d once woken up in the middle of the night and started screeching loud enough to wake the dead because Cliffjumper had forgotten to turn them on when he’d tucked the sleeping sparkling into bed! _Who was this bot and what had he done with his son!?_

Seeming to read his mom’s thoughts, Axletron let out an amused huff, “I think I’m a little old to be afraid of the dark mom.”  

“Wanting the light on doesn’t mean you’re afraid of the dark…” Cliffjumper said softly, “Just means you like to see your surroundings.” Axletron just stared frankly back the minibot. “Well…if you’re sure…?”

The sparkling nodded and Cliffjumper shrugged his shoulders and switched off the nightlight, but left the door open as usual. “See you in the morning sweetspark.”

Axle let out a final yawn and rolled over, cuddling into his blankets with a final “g’night mom…”

Cliffjumper watched him for a fem moment as his chassis settled into a regular rhythm of sleep before heading back downstairs feeling a little…surprised. He shuffled to the kitchen and warmed up a cube of energon, taking a seat at the kitchen table. It was as though his processor had stalled. Even as he felt the warmth fade from the cube between his servos he couldn’t bring himself to do anything more than stare into his cube.

 _When had this happened?_ Hadn’t Axletron been clinging to his ankles just a short while ago? When had he been able to reach around and hug his waist? When had he learned to put his own toys away and pour his own energon? When had he gotten over his fear of the dark?

_When had Axletron started growing up?  And more importantly…how had Cliffjumper missed it?_

End Chapter 93


	94. A Volunteer

Cliffjumper really should have known better than to trust Sideswipe, even with just stopping over for a visit. The old cop had appeared before his door with none other than his infamous brother in tow! While it was great to see Sunstreaker again, some warning would have been nice. The yellow bot had always been unpredictable, and even if the last few eons had mellowed him out, Cliffjumper couldn’t help but remember a few of the random brawls they’d gotten into over the stupidest things. He was pretty sure he still had a slight dent from where Sunstreaker had punched him for saying Sunstreaker would get along great with the Cons…thinking back, Cliff probably deserved that one.

Whatever the case, that was the past and right now, he had a sparkling to watch out for; a sparkling that was currently running down the stairs to fling himself into Sideswipe’s open arms with an excited yell. “Uncle Sideswipe!” Axletron cried, “You’re here!”

Grunting slightly at the impact, Sideswipe quickly recovered and picked up the sparkling to give him a spin. “Whoa! Look at you! You get bigger and bigger every time I see you!”

It was then that Axletron noticed the bright spot of yellow peeking out behind Sideswipe’s shoulder armor. “Who’s that Uncle Sides?” He asked softly, excited to meet a new bot, but also very shy. Ever since the Decepticons had captured Cliffjumper, the sparkling had been much more cautious of new bots.

Sides, catching onto the sparkling’s unease, placed the sparkling on his hip and turned to show him the new bot. “Axletron, this is my brother, Sunstreaker. He’s been touring around Cybertron for a while so he hasn’t had a chance to meet you before now. He’s an artist!”

Axletron’s optics suddenly lit up. “You like to draw?” He asked excitedly. “I love to draw!”

Cliffjumper watched the emotions play out on Sunstreaker’s faceplate. First there was shock (it seemed Sideswipe had keep his promise about not telling anybot about Axletron), then there was confusion and for a moment what Cliff thought to be anger, before it all melted away into awe and he nodded to Axletron’s question. “Yeah…I love to draw…Axletron, right?”

The little red sparkling nodded enthusiastically, his small head bobbing up and down. “Do you want to draw with me?”

Shuttering his optics rapidly, Sunstreaker stuttered his reply, “I…yeah, I…sure.”

With that, Axletron wiggled his way out of Sideswipe’s arms, grabbed onto Sunstreaker’s servo and dragged him into the house towards his play corner, no doubt ready to pull out every pad and color stylus he owned.

Sideswipe scoffed at the sight as he came in and closed the door behind him, “Typical, abandoned for the artist once more” he said with a roll of his optics, though his smile was easily noticeable.

But Axletron, thinking he’d hurt his uncle’s feelings was immediately there and tugging Sideswipe along as well, “You draw with us too Uncle Sides!”

“You start without me,” Sides replied, “I’ll catch up with your mom and draw with you after. Sunny needs special attention after all” he said with a wink at his brother, who simply glared back at him. But Axletron relented, leaving Cliff and Sides to themselves. For a few moments, Cliffjumper simply watched the Sunny and Axle draw, scattering pads and styluses all around them on the floor, trading colors and talking softly. Axletron was going on with his bubble of questions as usual. Seeing Sunstreaker was calm and maybe even actually enjoying himself, Cliffjumper led Sideswipe into the kitchen.

“Sooo, how’s the Intel gig treating you?” Sides asked. Pulling out a chair and flopping down on it with an easy smirk. “Ultra Magnus keeping in touch?”

While the Police force was a part of the Autobot government, they remained mostly detached from the main military. If anything they were more of a civil program since they fell under Alpha Trion’s umbrella, becoming a supplementary force if necessary. Because of that, Sideswipe, like the rest of Cybertron, didn’t get much word back from Magnus.

“He and his crew have almost reached the edge of the commonwealth.” Cliffjumper replied, taking his own seat “They’ll start patrolling the borders soon.”

“Any word of the Cons?”

“No, ever since Com, they’ve been laying low again. We don’t really know what they’re up to” Cliffjumper grumbled.

“Hey, don’t worry too much about it.” Sides said with a smirk, taking vorns off his face and making him look a lot like the young rascal that ran everyone on base ragged. “The Decepticons may have strength united, but they’re scattered throughout the galaxy and without a leader. No one will follow a newbie coming out of the blue.”

“Some of Megatron’s old generals my try their luck.” Cliffjumper replied, thinking of Strika for a moment.

Sideswipe shook his head, “No, Megatron was the only Con with any charisma and the only one smart enough and strong enough to keep the Cons under control...”

“…Galvatron’s energon through and through huh…?”  Cliffjumper whispered unwittingly, getting lost in the pattern of the tabletop.

Sideswipe frowned with worry. “Hey…you ok? Did something happen?”

Cliffjumper suddenly realized what he said and quickly shook his head to pull himself out of the memories. “No. Sorry. Just distracted.”

“Come on” Sideswipe scoffed, “I ain’t buyin’ that.”

“…Just thinking about Axletron…worrying really.” Cliffjumper admitted with a shrug and a small smile, but he couldn’t’ keep it up. “He’s gotten really quiet lately. Taking more classes with Alpha Trion…looking more and more like Galvatron every day.” Cliffjumper ended with a whisper, looking out past the kitchen opening to see Axletron was still drawing with Sunny. “He’s growing up so fast.”

“…You know…I’m not an expert…but I think they’re supposed to do that…” Sideswipe mumbled softly, awkwardly fiddling with the seams in his servos.

“…He’s growing up _too_ fast.”

“...Are you worried about his coding?” Sideswipe asked nervously.

Cliffjumper frowned thoughtfully. “Sort of. I’m not worried he’ll change his personality overnight, or anything, he’s too sweet for that. It’s just…he’s a military bot. Or at least half of one, and you know the military bots always developed differently from regular vehicular citizens, different mass, different systems. What it he needs help with something I don’t have the answers to…?”

The red and black bot smiled softly at the mini, mused that the hothead he always enjoyed riling up was fussing over his sparkling. “Not all military bots became Cons. Axle has plenty of uncles to go to for help and advice, even the Magnus! He’ll be fine.”

The red mini seemed to think it over for a moment before smiling, “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“I usually am” Sideswipe boasted, making Cliffjumper roll his optics dramatically.

“Careful” Cliffjumper warned as he got up from his chair, “Don’t want your head to blow up before your retirement.”

Sideswipe smirked even harder, “Not possible.”

Working quickly, the mini placed some energon cookies on a plate and grabbed some cubes. “Come on, let’s go feed the _artists_.” Together they stepped into the living room, but to their surprise, no one was there. “Axletron?” Cliffjumper called out, concerned about the fact that he couldn’t spot his sparkling in his own home. For a ridiculous instant he thought to check the dryer!

But a moment later, Axletron peaked out of his office door, dragging an extra pad behind him. “Mom!” Axle shouted as he reappeared, running up to Cliff holding a data pad. “Look what Sunny drew for me!” As the sparkling held up a brightly colored, and frankly very good sketch of Axletron, Cliffjumper spotted Sunstreaker walk out of his office and was instantly on high alert.

“What were you bots doing in my office?” he asked, suspicion and concern flooding his systems.

“We needed the big data pad Mom” Axletron explained.

“Next time, ask me alright? You know some of the pads in there have data on them already.” Cliffjumper said firmly, making Axletron nod in understanding, properly chastised.  But while the sparkling moved back to his drawing corner, Sunstreaker stood at the doorway to the room. Swiftly, Cliffjumper moved him out of the way and shut the door.

“What’s that room?” Sunstreaker asked, staring unwaveringly at Cliffjumper, triggering some less than pleasant memoires in the mini’s processor.

“Work stuff.” Cliffjumper replied, “Which means confidential, which means none of your business.”

Sunstreaker’s optic twitched and his servo’s were suddenly curled into fists. On reflex, Cliffjumper moved to stand to his full height and glared back at the larger bot. The stare off dragged on, filling the room with an oppressive, uncomfortable pressure. Cliffjumper could read in Sunny’s stance that the bot wasn’t going to back down. Fine. He may be a desk warmer now, but he had always been able to hold his own in a fight with the twins. Not that it would come to that, and not that Cliff minded too much if it did.

“Sides, would you mind taking Axletron to the park for a while?” Cliffjumper asked, turning his helm slightly towards the bot, but never breaking gaze with Sunstreaker. “I need to have a word with Sunny about privacy.”

“Uh…Sure thing!” Sides replied, glaring at his brother, but still grabbing the sparkling, “Come on Axle, we don’t want to be around for this boring talk.”

Axle glanced worriedly at his mother, but eventually followed along. Sideswipe called out, “We’ll be back in half a micro-cycle or so!” and the door shut behind them.

Not two klicks after they heard the front gate shut did Sunstreaker growl out, “You’re lying.”

“About the room?” Cliffjumper questioned, throwing Sunstreaker an unimpressed look, “What does it matter if I am or not.” He wasn’t _obligated_ to share _anything_ with Sunstreaker! Seemed the bot hadn’t lost his self-centered attitude! Strutting in here and thinking he should know everything about everyone! The nerve!

“It MATTERS” Sunstreaker snarled back.

Cliffjumper’s optics narrowed in suspicion. What the frag was going on here? “We haven’t seen each other in millennia. You just met my SON! Why are you getting so upset over a room Sunstreaker?”

Sunstreaker took a deep breath, glancing to the side of the room where he and Axletron had been coloring. Cliffjumper could practically hear the gears turning in his head. “How…? How did you get Axletron?” He asked softly, “How is it even possible?”

Deciding to at least _try_ and diffuse the situation, Cliffjumper let his frame relax just the tinniest bit and steeped back from the yellow artist, moving a bit out of his personal space. “I’m surprised Sideswipe didn’t tell you.”

“He’d just told me he’d found you, not that you had a kid!” Sunstreaker rumbled, giving Cliff the impression that Sideswipe would be paying for his that fact later, which really wasn’t fair.

“I asked him not to tell anyone.”

“Shouldn’t matter” replied the yellow bot, “I’m his fragging brother.”

“And I suppose _you_ tell him everything?”

Cliff smirked as Sunny glared down at him and then turned away sharply. He always got huffy when someone made point his didn’t want to acknowledge.

“Never mind that” Sunstreaker continued, “Tell me now.”

Sighing, Cliffjumper rubbed at his optics with his servos. “That last time you bots saw me, I’d been attacked by a Decepticon. He sparked me up.”

“…Axletron’s…a spark merge sparkling?” Sunstreaker asked with awe, optics growing wide. As Cliffjumper nodded, a shadow seemed to flow over the taller bot’s faceplate. Biting his derma, he ground out, “…Who was it Cliff? Your kid looks like Megatron, but it couldn’t be him…it had to have been…”

“Galvatron.” Cliffjumper confirmed with a nod. “Galvatron’s his father.”

“…You’re looking for him.” Sunstreaker declared suddenly. Cliffjumper stilled, looking at the yellow bot questioningly. “That’s what that room is for. You’re looking for Galvatron.”

The red minibot didn’t know _how_ Sunstreaker had figured that out in mere _nano-kliks_ , but he knew playing dumb only ever made Sunstreaker mad. He needed to keep Sunny quiet at the very least! “…Would you blame me if I said yes…?” Cliffjumper whispered softly, even as his processor cried out in protest.

“…But…you don’t hate him.” Sunstreaker added, with a hint of surprise in his voice.

Cliffjumper felt a wave of rage flood over him, “WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT!?” Why would anyone say that he didn’t hate Galvatron!? After everything he went through to hide the truth! All of the lies and the deceit and letting people come up with their own conclusions to hide the truth! Letting them drag Galvatron’s name through the mud! “HE RAPED ME!” Cliffjumper hissed out, his throat suddenly feeling very cluttered and small.

Sunstreaker actually took a step back, his servos clenching and unclenching nervously. “…You’re not angry…”

“What are you talking about Sunstreaker?!” Cliffjumper growled out, feeling the familiar taste of rage on his glossa, aching to be unleashed in a flurry of fists, “Of course I’M SLAGGING ANGRY!”

“But not at him…” Looking the minibot up and down, taking in the clenched fists and feeling the sharp sting of a defensive energy signature in the air, Sunstreaker moved to herd the mini into the kitchen, “come on…sit down.”

It was probably rather petty, but Cliffjumper made a show of pulling out his chair and sitting back on it with a loud scrape and clatter, crossing his arms over his chassis and scowling at the taller bot.

He continued to glare until Sunny started speaking. “You wanna know why I was so stressed…and angry during the war?”  He asked, grabbing one of the dishes that had been left behind on the table, turning the cube around in his servos.

“You mean it wasn’t just your sparkling personality?” Cliffjumper asked, trying to keep the anger in his voice, but it sounded thin and weak even to his audios.

“…There was a mech…” Sunstreaker whispered, clutching onto his cube a little harder, “…He…he was a Con…”

Cliffjumper suddenly froze, back arching straight. What was going on? What was Sunny sharing with him!? Everything seemed to get louder, sharper.

“…I loved him.”

Cliffjumper thought he heard something shatter, but couldn’t turn to see what. His vision was going hazy. The last thing he saw before everything went dark was Sunstreaker’s concerned looking faceplate suddenly tilting. He was embarrassed to say he fainted.

…

Cliffjumper woke up a few clicks later. He’d been moved to the sofa. Sunstreaker was looking over him with a weird look. “…Who was it?” Cliffjumper croaked, when he’d really meant to ask what the slag had happened.

Sunstreaker actually looked _shy_ for a moment,“…Thundercracker…he was a seeker….”

Even though he knew he’d probably regret it, Cliffjumper couldn’t help but ask,“…What happened to him?”

Sunny’s face immediately darkened“…he’s in the Well now…” he replied. “I went looking for him after the war…I found him.”

“I’m so sorry Sunstreaker…”

The yellow bot merely looked away, “You’re like I was…when I was looking. I had a room like your office, nothing by maps and charts, lists and news articles. Everything…I _know_ you’re looking for him….What’s the truth Cliffjumper?”

The two bots couldn’t break their gaze. Cliffjumper felt unsteady, his servos were trembling. Sunstreaker had a hardened look around his optics, but now that he knew to look, Cliffjumper could see the sadness there too. Here was someone like him…another Autobot that had fallen in love with a Decepticon…someone who could understand…!

“…Galvatron and I were seeing each other for mega-cycles before he attacked me…” Cliffjumper gasped out, “I just didn’t know he was Galvatron until you guys shows me his picture. He’d told me his name was Axle. After I found out, I confronted him—” Sunstreaker puffed up in rage at this, and looked like he was going to shout at him but Cliffjumper interrupted his rant, “I was already carrying then! Pacemaker was the only one that knew. I didn’t know what to do; and he got this crazy idea to make it look like he raped me so I wouldn’t be tried as a traitor!”

Sunstreaker growled lowly, “It’s a miracle you and the sparkling even _survived_.”

Cliffjumper looked down at his servos, “…I know”

“And you still forgive him for that….”

“…Yes…”

Silence stretched out between them, not heavy and uncomfortable like before, but soft and almost comforting, ripe with shared sadness and trust.

It was Sunstreaker that broke the silence. “…I’ll find him for you.” He declared.

Cliffjumper thought for a moment his audios had fried. He looked up suddenly, but only saw Sunstreaker’s jaw locked with determination.

The mini couldn’t help himself and simply shouted the first thing that came to mind, “…WHAT!?”

Seeing that he’d thrown the smaller bot off, Sunstreaker couldn’t keep from smirking smugly, “I will find him for you” he said again, slowly and clearly.

Realizing that he hadn’t heard wrong, and even worse, that Sunstreaker didn’t seem to be joking, Cliffjumper scowled and jumped to his peds. “Have you gone screw loose!? You can’t find him! He’s long gone!”

“You don’t believe that!” Sunstreaker barked back, “All that research in there, you know where to find him! But you can’t go, not with Axletron. I CAN!”

“Sunstreaker no!” Cliffjumper protested. “I can’t ask you to do that! I can’t _let_ you do that! Even if he is still functioning, he’s with the Decepticons!”

“I can change my look completely, I can sneak into Decepticon hideouts. I’ve done it before! I did it when I was looking for TC!” replied the twin, puffing up his chassis.  

Cliffjumper let out an exasperated groan and let his helm sink into his servos. “That was for you! Not for me! The Decepticons are broken up and desperate! You could get killed and then what will I tell Sideswipe!?”

“Nothing! Sunstreaker retorted. “We don’t have to tell anyone!”

“You expect me to just let you waltz off into the _Decepticon empire_ without anyone knowing!?” Cliffjumper responded with a disbelieving look, “Are you hearing yourself!?”

“Don’t you want to find him!?” Sunstreaker suddenly yelled, starling the mini with his vehemence.

“Of course I do!” Cliffjumper shouted back.

“Then LET ME HELP YOU!?”

Cliffjumper threw his servos into the air in frustration, “Can’t you understand that it’s a fragging SUICIDE MISSION!?”

“You say that like YOU wouldn’t be out there if you could!” Sunstreaker replied with a glare.

Cliffjumper’s retort was bitten back. Glaring up at Sunstreaker, he stewed silently.

“But you _can’t_ ” Sunstreaker continued, “Not with Axletron!” And for the first time Cliffjumper could ever recall, Sunstreaker actually kneeled down to look him in the optic, “Cliffjumper, this is your one _chance_ …just take it….”

As much as the mini tried to suppress it, he felt his chassis well up with hope. As much as he hated admitting it, Sunstreaker was right. Cliffjumper wasn’t willing to go out and search for Galvatron at the risk of leaving Axletron. He had to put his son first, even as he ached for Galvatron. Sunny, the Primus fragged blessing in disguise was his answer to finding Galvatron… “Are you sure Sunstreaker?” He asked softly, only to get smacked upside the helm by a larger servo.  

“Really hothead, all that time in stasis freeze your processor?”

Cliffjumper sputtered angrily, which only made Sunstreaker laugh out loud. Grabbing the mini’s servos, the yellow bot dragged his old friend back into his office, “Now, tell me where he is.”

Pulling out his latest notes and his charts, Cliffjumper explained, “My search keeps pointing to the Decepticon Empire, most likely Ijurn,Thrull, Ceti Alpha VII or Lucifer. Those planets have been under their control the longest and have never actually had an Autobot breach, so he’d be able to stay hidden.”

“What would I be looking for?”

“Stable, long time energon contracts. Isolated areas that are still heavily protected. Natural energon reservoirs or travel logs to uninhabited areas.  Bulk purchases of everyday supplies, enough to last a vorn perhaps.”

Sunstreaker nodded along, “Do you think he’d have gotten a body shift?”

Frowning softly, Cliffjumper shook his head, “I don’t think so. He’d be better off looking like himself in Decepticon territory.”

Sunstreaker nodded. “Good enough for me.”

 “I want to check up with you every Mega-cycle.”

“Eh, make it a deca-cycle.” Sunstreaker retorted. “I’m not one of your agents, I don’t need a babysitter. Just give me a warning if Ultra Magnus heads my way ok?”  

“It’s just to make sure your safe, and haven’t don’t anything stupid that you need to be rescued from.” Cliffjumper growled, putting his notes away and quickly copying the map he had out onto a datapad for Sunstreaker before heading back towards the living room, the larder bot following behind.

“I’ll be fine, I’ve done this before” Sunstreaker insisted as he shut the office door behind them, “I can set out in a mega-cycle’s time. Gotta get stuff ready, make a few new mods, grab some electric paint…” And on he went making plans, mumbling out supplies he’d need.

It was the mini that broke him out of his list. “…Sunny…” Cliffjumper swallowed thickly. “Thank you…”

Sunstreaker gave him a soft look, “I hope this search turns out better for you than it did me.”

“…We’ve really changed huh?” Cliffjumper whispered softly.

“Maybe the war just brought out the worse and best in us…” Sunstreaker replied.

Before their spark-warming moment became awkward, since these two bots don’t exactly wear their sparks on their sleeves, they both heard the front gate open and the pitter patter of excited sparkling peds.

“When are you going to tell Axletron…?”  Sunstreaker asked suddenly.

Cliffjumper frowned, but replied, “…When I can tell him the truth.”

End Chapter 94

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So little head cannon for you guys: In TFA, Starscream’s clones aren’t named on air, so I think he would name him after his old trine mates, because he can’t be the only seeker out there, but maybe the others didn’t make it. So there are now two Thundercracker’s…or, since Starscream hasn’t cloned the other one yet, still one for now…but he’s dead. Sunny and TC is a more obscure pairing, but one I really like. There you have it, my head canon bomb. I’m not 100% sold on it so if you have another pairing let me know! I'm open to suggestions. Till next time! :)


	95. Slip-Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Guys. I know it’s been a very long time since I updated and I’m so sorry! I just want to say that it may take me ages, but I WILL FINISH THIS GODDAMN FIC IF I HAVE TO DRAG MYSELF KICKING AND SCREAMING. Thank you for sticking with me! Enjoy the new chapters!

Chapter 95: Slip-Up

Sunstreaker had warned Cliffjumper that his search could take ano-cycles. He wasn’t just spying after all, he was building an identity, a reputation in the Decepticon empire. He had to earn people’s trust, and that took time. Only those with the tightest lips and the deepest loyalty would have been trusted with information about Galvatron after all.  So Sunstreaker made contacts at every Decepticon city he stopped in, did every bot with clout a favor and made nice with the head honchos in the cities.

Cliffjumper had video chatted with him before he set off and he knew if he’d passed Sunny in the street he’d never recognize him the way he was now. Cobalt blue with silver accents and a new helmet, he looked completely different. Throw in some kibble and mods and some red optic lenses and he looked like a Decepticon rookie trying to move up in the ranks.

They didn’t talk as often as Cliffjumper would have liked, but they had to stay safe. Sunstreaker sent a databurst out every time he moved at least, so the mini always knew where he was. But as Sunstreaker followed leads on the ground, Cliffjumper’s search on the homefront continued.

The minibot kept an optic and audio on the spacewaves, listening for news of Galvatron, Megatron, and any trouble for Sunstreaker. Despite the mess the Decepticons had stirred up for the Autobots, the Autobots has fallen into a bit of a routine. Ultra Magnus and his crew remained off planet, patrolling the border.

Like clockwork, just when the Autobots felt secure again, the Deceptions would raid a small settlement or try and take down an outlying space bridge. Ultra Magnus eventually started stationing teams along the working space bridges just to keep them safe and operational. The leaderless Decepticon masses seemed to do no more than shuffle uncertainly from place to place and all the Autobots could do now was keep the Decepticons off their turf.

With every incident, Cliffjumper scanned their ranks and the waves; looking for the slightest hint of a new leader in the Decepticons, or to be more exact, an old leader. But hard as he looked and deep as he searched, Cliff never heard even a whisper of the old War Lord.

And somehow, before Cliffjumper even realized it, 5 ano-cycles had passed with nary a word from anyone.

Despite the dismal state of his own mission, Cliffjumper had to admit that a lot had changed during those ano-cycles.

The prison system had been completely transformed, with great public support. If anyone had bothered to poll the prisoners, they would have raved about the new meals, room space and the benefit of not getting raped by their guards. Few knew who had advocated the changes, but more than one Decepticon prisoner wondered if one of their own had gotten in deep enough to change things. Prison riots were now rarely heard of and the public kept their attention occupied with pop artists and reports of captured Deceptions had made them believe their council and Magnus really knew what they were doing.

You see, while the Decepticons pulled Autobot forces hither and thither with their minor scuffles, bounty hunters and pirates saw it as a great time to make a move, attacking old Decepticon sites and turning in every bot with a hint of purple in their paintjob. What the Autobots didn’t know was that those smaller bounties served to hide one heck of a prize. Namely the head of one Optimus Prime, the Autobot who defeated Megatron, put into the evil yellow pages by Lugnut.

And in the face of all of these changes, there was the important fact that Axletron was 12 now.

\---

Axletron hit the ground for the 4th time in 15 kilks with a hard thud that threw dust into the air. He laid there huffing heavily, trying to catch his breath, his cooling fans roaring at full speed.

“Up Axle.” Alpha Trion ordered, training sword at the ready.

Smothering a whine, Axletron rolled over and dragged himself up off the floor. As he stood up, his knees shook unsteadily. The grip on his training sword was weak, but bracing himself he lunged forward to meet his mentor head on once more.

He didn’t last a nano-klick. One strike sent the sparkling reeling back, his sword flying out of his grip and skittering to the other side of the dojo.

Alpha Trion frowned grimily. Axletron was obviously exhausted. Despite the fact that he knew they’d been at it for over 3 micro-cycles, all the council member could see was weakness. “Were I a Deception, you would be dead.” he said coldly, making Axletron flinch on the ground. Decepticons were still a touchy subject for the sparkling, who had never forgotten his misadventures off planet and his mother’s kidnapping.

“I’m sorry” he said softly, too tired to get up.

“Sorry will not save you from a sword Axle. You must do better.” Alpha Trion scolded, returning his training sword to its place. “The stakes are too high. You cannot afford to be weak.”

Standing stiffly and knowing he was in for a lecture, Axletron nodded glumly, hunching into himself, “Yes sir.”

Pacing in front of the youngling, Alpha Trion began to rant angrily, “Everyday the Decepticons grow more and more bold. First it was ports and now it’s space bridges! One wrong move, one slip up and they could swarm the planet! What would you do if that happened Axle?”

“I’d fight!” Axletron replied with all the strength he could muster. “I’d protect my home!”

“Like you just fought me?” Alpha Trion huffed back. “That would not keep _you_ safe, let alone anyone _else_.”

Slumping further, Axletron stared at his scuffed peds in shame, his cheeks burning. Alpha Trion was right. If he couldn’t even hold his own how was he supposed to help others? How was he supposed to keep his mom safe? If would be like D’Hoonnib all over again, and he’d sworn to never be that helpless again!

“Do you not understand, this rests on you?!” The sparkling’s humility only served to anger Alpha Trion further.  The youngling needed to stand up for himself! Needed to protest and put up a fight! How could he expect others to respect him if he did not respect himself enough to protest when someone called him weak!? To prove them wrong! Was he not the son of a War Lord!? “I know you have what it takes to be a great warrior, it’s in your energon for spark’s sake!” Alpha Trion threw out and the immediately regretted it.

Looking up in confusion, Axletron tilted his head to the side, “…what do you mean Alpha Trion?”

Suddenly feeling very uncomfortable, Alpha Trion let out a scoff and retreated towards the door, “Nevermind. It’s not important. We’ll resume our lessons tomorrow. Get some rest. I expect improvement.” And with that, the council-bot vanished down the hall of the dojo, leaving a very bewildered student behind.

After a moment, Axletron moved to clean up the dojo, putting away his practice sword and the other tools and padded matting. When everything was back in its place, he sat down and meditated, breathing in and out deeply, calming his body even as his mind fumbled for an explanation to Alpha Trion’s words.

He had to have meant his mother…right? Axletron knew his mom was a great fighter, strong and smart with a wicked aim. Give him a weapon he could lift and Cliffjumper would fire it with deadly precision. But fighting? His mother tended to avoid fighting close range, it was just one of the things a mini had to learn if they wanted to continue to function. Too much difference in size and reach. If a mini was too slow, he could lose a fight rather quickly.

Whenever he and his mom trained together, the minibot taught him how to evade and dodge bots larger than him. As far as hand to hand went, Cliffjumper was good at throwing quick punches to sensitive spots and jumping back when an arm tried to grab him. Axletron had been left in awe more than once when Cliffjumper beat Warpath. But Alpha Trion was all about one-on-one, head-on fighting. Duels, not brawls. Which was why Axletron didn’t think he meant his mom…and that could only mean that Alpha Trion was talking about his dad…?

Frowning softly, Axletron dropped his meditation pose and pulled himself to his peds. He needed a shower. It was late; the sun had already gone down. His mom would still be in his office, waiting for him to finish up. Cliffjumper still liked to walk home with his son, even if said son could bring most bots to their knees with a well-placed kick.

Making his way to the top floor of the Intel department, Axletron thought of his father. He didn’t know a thing about him. Whenever he asked his mom about him, the minibot would mumble out excuses and disappear into his office for a while. Axletron learned early on that if he wanted his mom to smile, his dad was a topic best left alone.

Shaking his helm and dislodging that particular train of thought, Axle decided to practice his ninja skills instead. Sliding smoothly out of the elevator, the red bot crouched his way down the hall, avoiding the security cameras.

He snuck silently around the halls, keeping an audio open for ped-steps, like Jazz had taught him. He heard someone coming down the hall. Looking around quickly, he leaped up and grabbed a low hanging beam, pulling himself up to hide. He held his breath as the bot came around corner. It was Cliffjumper! Surprised to see his mom, Axle leaned out, accidentally knocking the beam. Cliffjumper froze, looking around. Hiding behind the beam, Axletron held perfectly still. After a moment, Cliffjumper continued on his way. When the mini turned the corner Axletron dropped back to the floor with a proud smirk. He’d fooled his mom! He giggled into his hands, his earlier stress slipping off his shoulders.

“Not bad.” Axletron jumped and turned quickly with a gasp. Longarm was smiling down at him, hands folded over his chassis. “Longarm Prime! Hello! What a surprise meeting you here, ha ha…”

Longarm gave him an amused but disbelieving look. “You in trouble?”

“No!” Axletron protested. “I was just gonna surprise mom by picking him up!”

Longarm chuckled and shook his head. “Come on, you can wait for him at the office until he gets back from that last delivery.”

A bright smile split Axletron’s face as he quickly followed along behind Longarm.

The Prime’s office door was open and he motioned for Axletron to climb onto the sofa he had laying to one side of the large space. Hopping onto the soft cushions, Axletron kicked his legs back and forth from where they hung over the edge of the couch.

“What were you doing today Axletron? Experiments with Wheeljack and Perceptor?” Longarm asked, picking up and organizing some of the datapads on his desk.

“Nope” replied the sparkling, popping the p. “Training with Alpha Trion today.”

“How’d that go?” asked the crane politely.

Shrugging unhappily, Axletron slumped into his seat. “Not great. I’m weak…” He answered morosely.

Longarm paused his tidying up to look at the sparkling over his shoulder, “Now that can’t be right.”

But Axletron could only nod sadly, thinking of everything Alpha Trion said. “I’m too slow. One hard strike and my whole stance falls apart. I can’t fight very long and when I get tired I get sloppy…”

Seeing the bot was upset, Longarm move to sit across from the youngling. “Axletron. You’re 12. This is not the biggest you’ll get. You’ll get stronger as you grow. And with all this practice, you’ll only get better.”

“But I need to be better _now_!” Axletron whined.

“Why Axletron?”

Fidgeting in his seat, Axletron huffed, “The Decepticons of course! Alpha Trion said they’re getting stronger! What if they invade the planet! I have to be able to help!”

Blinking in awe, Longarm cocked his helm to the side in concern, and shockwave’s optic glowed brightly. So this is what that old rust bucket had been telling Axletron. Filling him with fear and guilt to work harder. Typical. “I think Alpha Trion may have gotten a bit worked up Axletron. The Decepticons aren’t a risk right now. Ultra Magnus is protecting our borders and we’re keeping the home world safe. Your mom is keeping this planet safe.”

“But it’s _my_ responsibility!” Axletron protested, shocking the spy even further.

“Axletron, you’re a kid. Your responsibilities are to listen to your mother and keep your room clean. Saving the world is not your concern, it’s ours, your mom’s, the adults. People aren’t born warriors.”

“But Alpha Trion said—”

“Something wrong.” Longarm replied. “We’re a team, we all work together to keep this planet safe. The fate of the world doesn’t rest on you alone. Remember, we’re all cogs in the machine?” Shockwave had to suppress a shudder as he spoke that horrible slogan.

But the half-mini couldn’t let it go. Sometimes he was too curious for his own good. “…He said it was in my energon, being a good warrior…but I don’t understand how.” Axletron explained softly.

Shockwave wanted to dance. That senile old fool had slipped up big! Still, he had to keep up the act. “Your mother is a great fighter” he asserted, “especially when he loses his temper. They used to call him the ‘one-man army’ when he went berserk after all.” Shockwave had seen the footage, it’d been impressive. Cliffjumper had clearly been wasted as a scout during the war, though the Decepticon could understand the reasoning behind benching the mini.  The rage was powerful, but it was also blinding and all-encompassing. Too risky and uncontrollable.

Axletron seemed to consider it. Was that what Alpha Trion had meant? Had he wanted Axletron to fight angry? To lose his temper? “But uncle Jazz and grandpa Kup and Alpha Trion always said I had to fight with a cool head…”

Longarm cupped his chin with his servo as he seemed to think about it. “Hmmm, I have to agree. Fighting angry doesn’t usually work out well in the long term.”

Falling into thought, Axletron worried his derma with his denta and clenched his small fists in his lap, suddenly resembling his mother, who had the same nervous habits. “Uncle Longarm” he began softly, “Do you think he could have been talking about my dad?”

Like a flip had been switched, Longarm’s faceplate flashed in understanding and he sat up straight for a moment before he turned melancholic and slouched back down, glancing at the door as though someone could have spotted his reaction to the question, when the spy knew perfectly well Cliffjumper would be gone for a few moments longer and everybot else had gone home. “I-maybe.” He murmured, with a shake of his head, “I don’t know Axletron.”

The little display had grabbed the sparkling’s interest entirely. It was obvious to the smaller bot that Longarm thought it did have something to do with his father, but that he couldn’t talk about it. “Do you think he’s right. Does my coding mean so much?”  Axletron asked.  While he wondered what his father was like, he’d never really stopped to think about how _he_ could be like his father, when all he really had to compare himself to was his mom. Was his father a strong fighter? Was he smart? Was he nice?

“I…I suppose so, I mean, a little at least.” Longarm hedged, the red orb on his forehead glowing brightly. Longarm may be acting nervous and reluctant but Shockwave was calm. He took in every look, every word, every _move_ the youngling made. Axletron was at the age younglings broke out, the age when they began to ask questions.

“Then shouldn’t I know about him!?” Axletron asked, frowning softly. “Why doesn’t anyone talk about my Dad Longarm?”

“Axletron.” Longarm sighed, “Your father-” A small ping told Shockwave that Cliffjumper was on his way back. Slag. “…It’s not really my place to say. Listen Axletron, don’t worry about what Alpha Trion said. You’ll grow into your coding.” As the sparkling made to interrupt, Longarm quickly added, “And  I’m sure you’ll learn about your Dad when the time is right.”

Unhappy, and obviously pouting, Axletron nodded begrudgingly. He knew a dismissal when he heard one. Just then he noticed the soft sound of ped steps coming closer. Hopping off the sofa, and sneaking towards the door of Longarm’s office, he greeted his mom with a hug when he appeared. “Mom!”

“Axletron!” Cliff replied “You surprised me! Have you been waiting long?”

“Not at all” Longarm interjected, “We’d just sat down when you arrived.”

Axletron frowned softly even as Cliffjumper accepted the answer easily, turning back to his sparkling with a tired smile, “Ready to go home? You look like you could use a shower.”

Axletron simply nodded and waved goodbye to Longarm, casting him one last searching look before taking his mom’s servo and heading home, his thoughts all aflutter. Who was his father? Why didn’t his mom or anyone else want to talk about him? What did Axletron have that Alpha Trion thought made him like his Dad? And perhaps most importantly, how was he going to learn the truth, without upsetting him Mom or his teachers, who seemed bound and determined to keep him in the dark?

End Chapter 95


	96. Pressure

Chapter 96: Pressure

After his slip up at their previous training session, Alpha Trion remained silent and gruff during their lessons, shouting orders and advice stiffy and coolly. He never mentioned Axletron’s code again, but pushed him to improve at a brutal pace. Every lesson began with Axletron reciting the Autobot creed, promising to uphold justice, freedom and loyalty, to give his all to the great Autobot machine.

Where Axletron had once lived for his lessons with his mentor, after a few mega-cycles like that, he found himself dreading the afternoons when he would meet up with the council-bot in the dojo. 

He found himself wishing he could do more with Perceptor, who always included him in his experiments or Hound, who was trying to get flowers from all over the universe for him to see and study.  But he stayed quiet, unwilling to make trouble and voice his unhappiness, smiling through the hurt when his mom asked him how his day was.  

But one day, everything came to a peak. He just couldn’t understand why Alpha Trion put so much on him.  He hadn’t forgotten what Longarm had said, about teamwork and support. All cogs in the great machine. But Alpha Trion acted like he wanted Axle to drive that grand machine all on his own. His already sore shoulders slumped even more as he sank onto his bed. He’d felt as though he’d been put through a blender. Every joint and cable ached and all he wanted to do was sleep but he was too wired to start a defrag for even a short nap. So he lay down in his room, staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars he’d glued to the ceiling when he was 7, trying so hard to understand.

But he was only 12. He didn’t know how to handle this. He didn’t know what Alpha Trion wanted from him. Did he want him to fight angry? Did he want him to fight smart? Did he want him to brawl or delegate? Protect or attack? Lead or follow?  It was just so much! Axletron’s throat swelled. He clenched his optics tight against the tears. Curling on his side, Axletron hugged his pillow with a whimper

That was how his mom found him. There was a knock on his door. Axletron froze. The door creaked as it opened. Axle blinked rapidly and swallowed a deep breath as Cliffjumper walked in.  “Axle? Are you alright?” the minibot asked.

“Y-yeah mom. Just tired. Hard lesson today is all.” Axletron answered, hoping he sounded normal. He still didn’t turn over, not sure how he’d react.

Cliffjumper’s gaze narrowed. He’d heard that hitch in his voice. Slowly, he sat on the edge of Axletron’s bed. He placed a servo on his son’s shoulder plate. Forcing himself to keep his voice calm he asked, “What happened?”

“…Nothing”

“…Now that’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one.”

Axletron flinched. “I…I just don’t know what to do anymore Mom” Axletron whispered, finally letting the tears fall as he sat up and threw himself into Cliffjumper’s arms. “Alpha Trion wants me to be a great fighter and leader. And I try really hard, I do! But it’s just so much to learn…!” he hiccupped.

Cliffjumper rubbed his son’s horns soothingly, like he used to do when Axle was a toddler, “…Do you remember when you started these lessons, what I asked you?”

Axletron frowned, shaking his head. He couldn’t recall. 

“I asked you if they were something _you_ wanted to do.” Cliffjumper explained softly. “You said you wanted to take them because they sounded like fun, because you wanted to learn. Is that still true Axletron?”

Slumping and averting his gaze, Axletron shook his head again. He couldn’t really remember the last time a lesson with Alpha Trion had been fun. But he couldn’t just quit either. Autobots didn’t quit when things got hard!

As though he was sensing his thoughts, Cliffjumper softly cupped Axletron’s chin and made the sparkling look him in the optic. “You are not a solider Axletron. And even if you were, there are limits to what someone can ask you to do. You don’t have to do anything Axletron. If you don’t want to take lessons with Alpha Trion anymore, you don’t have to. You have a choice Axle, do you understand?”

The sparkling nodded softly, wiping his optics. “It’s not that I don’t like the lessons. I like learning about the Autobot code and history and sparing…but…it’d gotten so hard lately…We go over so much I can’t remember any of it…but I don’t want to stop…” he whimpered.

“I’ll talk to Alpha Trion.” Cliffjumper assured.  “You just let me handle it, ok sweetspark?”

Feeling lighthearted for the first time in deca-cycles, Axletron nodded and hugged him mother tightly. The sparkling fell asleep in Cliffjumper arms soon that. When he was well and out, completely exhausted from training, Cliffjumper put him to bed and stiffly walked downstairs.

He was furious. No. He was absolutely PIT-BURNING-PISSED! How DARE Alpha Trion do this!? He’d trusted him…! This couldn’t continue. Not for a klik longer!

He commed Alpha Trion.

:Cliffjumper? Good evening, do you need something?:

:We need to talk. Now. Where are you?: Cliffjumper snapped, impressed that he’d managed to keep the bark out of his voice, for the most part.

:Home. I can expect you shortly?:

:Yes:

Cliffjumper snarled as he ended the link and immediately headed out the door, double checking the lock before transforming the instant he was past the gate and speeding all the way to Alpha Trion’s house. He wouldn’t be long.

Not even a nano-cycle later, he stomped up Alpha Trion’s front steps and rapped sharply on the door. Alpha Trion let him in without comment. Political master that he was, he knew this was no time for pleasantries. “What can I do for you Cliffjumper?” Alpha Trion asked, leading him to the dining room to talk. Cliffjumper remained standing even when Alpha Trion gestured for him to sit.

“Maybe you can explain why Axletron cried himself to sleep because he didn’t think he could meet your expectations.” Cliffjumper asked, putting a great deal of effort into making the question sound less like a growl.

Alpha Trion had the decency to flinch. He knew he’d pushed Axletron too hard today.  Things were not going well on the Autobot borders. Decepticons were making more moves on the outlaying space bridges, and they’d never gotten around to creating a new repair team, simply because so few were qualified to fix space bridges. On top of that, Rosanna, the Pop Princess of the Autobot world had spoken out about him _and_ the council’s recent decision to renew the Decepticon Registration Law, which he was a fervent supporter of. Being a public figure of great esteem granted the diva a great deal of political clout, even if she didn’t understand politics. 

This development made him feel like they were being pushed into a corner and he needed to find a way out and in his optics, that out was Axletron. Sadly, his fear for his and the council’s reputation, and the reality of a celebrity’s sway over the public had negatively impacted his training of Axletron. He’d moved too quickly.

Though he was loathed to admit it, Alpha Trion was one of the original brains behind the plan to mold fully grown soldiers with the All-Spark. He’d forgotten that normal sparkling were not born with a fighting body and a formed mind and found himself feeling unsatisfied with Axletron’s steady but limited development.  Especially not that we was a bit bigger and broader and resembled the single-anos a little more.

In truth, the fact that Axletron grew and learned more organically worried Alpha Trion. With a fully grown bot, teaching was more of a formality, a filling in of information. With a sparkling, there were so many more experiences, so many different reactions, and so many more opportunities for mistakes. There was still much the boy didn’t know. While Alpha Trion did not doubt the youngling’s spark, his charisma, or even his willingness to dedicate himself to a cause right _now_ …there was a small lingering fear over his father’s influence. Axletron was half-Decepticon…those genes could not remain dormant without a fight, and certainly not forever. As he grew, would he change for the worse? Alpha Trion felt it his duty to make the boy as much of an Autobot as possible while the chance was there. Surely repetition could overrule coding.

Still, he strived to hide his thoughts from the boy’s mother. “…I apologize.” He said softly, more than accustomed to giving out empty regrets, like any good politician. “I didn’t realize I was placing him under so much pressure…”

Unfortunately for Alpha Trion, Cliffjumper didn’t think that was enough. Crossing his arms over his chest, Cliffjumper spoke his mind, “Alpha Trion, I appreciate everything you’ve done for us, never question that, but Axletron is MY son! I decide what he can handle and what he can experience, _not_ you.”

“I have only ever worked to make him a great Autobot warrior.” Alpha Trion protested, not liking where this was going at all!

“But that is not all he is Alpha Trion!” Cliffjumper insisted, throwing his hands up in frustration. “He’s still a kid. He has to learn to be his own bot, not –”

“The Deceptions will not have any mercy Cliffjumper.” Alpha Trion interrupted harshly. He’d try his hardest to instill Axletron with Autobot goodness, but one could only do so much against genetics. If the Decepticons learned of Axletron before it was time, they could sway him, claim him as one of their own! They almost got him once, he could not let them have another chance!

Cliffjumper glared and pressed on, “His sole purpose in life is NOT to fight Decepticons! He is not just a tool Alpha Trion! He is a bot, just like you and me, and he has a choice!” The mini was practically vibrating with rage.  His servos itched as he clenched them, but he refused to give into his anger! He needed to sort this out calmly and clearly. He wouldn’t give Alpha Trion anything to hold over his head.

“What if he chooses wrong!?” Alpha Trion shouted, “We need to prepare him for everything he will have to face as a child of two worlds! We need to guide him-”

“You want to control him!”

Alpha Trion could no longer hold still. He began to pace furiously around the minibot, trying to think of a way  to cow Cliffjumper into seeing things his way. “If we do not, who will!? Who will keep that boy from becoming a Decepticon!? From becoming a pawn to Megatron’s game?!”

“I will! The same way I’m keeping him from becoming a pawn in yours!” Cliffjumper returned, keeping optic contact.

Silence settled on them like gravity after an open space walk.

“He can make his own choices. I will support him in whatever he decides.” Cliffjumper stated sharply. “If I find out you’re pushing him like this again, that’s it. No more lessons, no more secrets, we’re done. The most important thing to me is Axletron. I can walk away from everything else in a spark beat. And while I’m thankful for everything you’ve done, you do not own us, and you do not have the right to control us. Do you understand?”  

Cliffjumper glared at Alpha Trion until the bot nodded reluctantly, then he spun on his heel and stomped out of the office. “Good night Alpha Trion.”

Alpha Trion stood stone still until he heard his front door close. When the angry minibot drove away, he made his way into the kitchen, grabbing his bottle of high grade. He’d underestimated Cliffjumper. He’d forgotten what a true parent was like. Thinking back, his parents would have done the same for him as Cliffjumper had done for Axletron. But that was different. They lived in a world of borders, of brands; a world never completely free of war.

Axletron was important to that world, even if most of it remained ignorant to his existence. He needed to be ready. Alpha Trion would simply have to be more careful with the bot. he couldn’t afford to lose him to Cliffjumper’s overprotectiveness. The future leader of the Decepticons could not be a mama’s boy. It would not do to reveal the chinks in one’s armor so obviously.

He would be careful. He would train Axletron until the sparking was capable to swaying the Decepticons to his side. And when he took command from Megatron as Galvatron’s rightful heir, he could disband the Decepticons, and finally bring peace to their world. But he had to be trained, groomed perfectly. The youngling was too sweet-sparked, too mild-mannered. A leader must have thick armor, inside and out.

Alpha Trion could prepare him, even with Cliffjumper’s interference. He could tell the child the true stakes of his training, the truth of his father! …But no, he couldn’t afford to reveal everything to the sparkling. Not yet. He was still too young, too malleable. He would not slip up again, but go on as he always had, enduring and patient.

He’d train the sparkling for the day he’d stand up to his half-brother and claim their father’s place. Someday. 

End Chapter 96


	97. Into the Arms of the Enemy

Chapter 97: Into the Arms of the Enemy

Cliffjumper was in a bad mood the next cycle. A very obvious bad mood. The mini had never been good at hiding his feelings and today you could practically see the dark clouds rolling over his horns. He typed away at the keys on his computer so hard that everyone who saw it worried he’d break right though the pad. And truth be told, an order for a new one did have to be put in a few cycles later.

After several micro-cycles of cautious tip-toeing, emails in place of video calls, couriered mail, and one panic attack from a very lost and late intern asking for directions, Longarm opened his office doors and sauntered over to his second’s desk.

“Cliffjumper” Longarm greeted cheerily, leaning over the edge of Cliffjumper’s desk, “Join me for lunch?”

Cliffjumper spared his superior a quick glance but never stopped typing. “I think I’ll skip lunch today Longarm Prime Sir.” He replied coolly, his optic twitching ever so slightly.

Just then a courier appeared from around the corner with two trays from the mess hall. Handing them to Longarm with a smile, he nodded goodbye and headed back down the hall, leaving Longarm to hold the trays up in triumph. “I insist.” He said with a small smirk, the red orb on his forehead glowing in amusement.

Reluctant, but seeing he wouldn’t be getting out of a conversation, Cliffjumper could only nod and shut down his work station. Together they went into Longarm’s office, closing the door behind them and taking a seat at the couches. Cliffjumper scooted his way back against the sofa, his legs dangling over the edge. Even that small fact, which was no different from any other day in his life had him scowling at his short legs. Accepting his cube with another nod of thanks, he sipped it, not really tasting a thing.

They sat in silence for a while, before Longarm decided to speak up.  “You’re angry.”

Cliffjumper could barely resist scoffing. No duh. “Not really,” he replied in what he hoped was a rational tone, “just a bit irritated.”

“Why?”  Longarm asked, ignoring the deflection.

“Nothing important.”

“Does it have something to do with Axletron?”

“No. Not really.”

“Is he alright?” The mini’s persistent silence was becoming concerning. While he and Cliffjumper had been on thick ice conversation wise after Longarm revealed that he knew Cliffjumper was looking for Galvatron, the mini had always been pretty forthcoming about everyday things, especially if it gave him a chance to brag about his sparkling. What had happened? Did it have something to do with Galvatron? Had the mini figured something out? When the red bot began to chew on his lower derma, Longarm took a chance, “Come now Cliffjumper, I’m just worried. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this upset before. Even when Wheeljack lost Axletron in the supply warehouse.”

The memory served to bring a small smile to Cliffjumper’s faceplate, though it didn’t last long. “Yeah, yeah. Just had a bit of a…disagreement with Alpha Trion about his lessons. It’s been sorted out, I’m just…restless.”  He added uncertainly, his fists clenching and unclenching on his lap. He felt twitchy and uncomfortable in his armor. In the old days, he would have gone to pick a fight with some bot. He’d visit the gun range after his shift, but he wanted to pick up Axletron from his lesson, to make sure Alpha Trion got the message.

Longarm tilted his head slightly in confusion, “What was wrong with Axletron’s lessons?” Shockwave was honestly curious. What could the _infallible_ Alpha Trion done to send Cliffjumper into Mother Hen mode?  Had the mini learned about the old coot’s slip up in front of Axletron? Was that what had his wires in a twist?

Realizing that the mini was uncomfortable with the question, Longarm remained silent,  bracing himself for one of the red bot’s classic deflections, a sudden switch to business, or maybe a downplay of the issue. Instead, he had to force himself from reacting in surprise to the mini’s response.

“Do you think Axletron’s code matters?” Cliffjumper asked softly, staring into the dredges of his energon, wishing it was high grade.

Blinking rapidly, Longarm shrugged his broad shoulders. “Yes.” When Cliffjumper flinched, the crane quickly added, “But not in the way you think! There are things in your code that you just can’t control; your height, your strength, your special talent. I don’t think Axletron is any more subject to his code than the rest of us.” Oh course Shockwave was only being half honest. Yes, the bot was influenced physically by his coding, but its connection to Megatron and Galvatron linked him to a far greater heritage than anyone realized. Many of Axletron’s ‘natural’ talents came from his father, his charisma, his work-ethic, his dedication. And just like his strength, those qualities could be nurtured and matured into something powerful. Alpha Trion knew that too and was trying to curve those talents to the Autobot side. “Does Alpha Trion think something’s…wrong?”

The frown on Cliffjumper’s face grew even darker. “Alpha Trion….I don’t know what’s going on with him. When Axletron was smaller, he was so good with him! Nice, caring, encouraging…now. Half the time I don’t think he even sees a kid.”

Oh Alpha Trion had made a doozey of a mistake! Hiding his glee and nodding in understanding, his faceplate displaying an unhappy grimace, Longarm remained silent, allowing Cliffjumper the time to gather his thoughts together. It wasn’t difficult to see where Alpha Trion was coming from. Axletron had sprouted like crazy in the last few mega-cycles. He was still shorter than his mother, but not by much. He was lanky and quick, but anyone could see that he’d eventually bulk out a bit. If one ignored the sparkling’s baby faceplate, he was close to a freshly produced Autobot, right from the mold. But Axletron wasn’t a pre-processed solider off the assembly line.

 “Axletron was so upset last night,” Cliffjumper continued with a whimper. “Alpha Trion has been pushing and putting him under so much pressure, and for what? Is that intense training really necessary? He’s just a kid. Why does he need to know how to fight beyond endurance? Why can’t he understand Axletron isn’t—” growing more and more agitated, Cliffjumper shook himself harshly. “It’s like Axletron is a pawn to him. Something to manipulate and order about.” He spit out with a sneer. Looking up to see the worried expression on his superior, he couldn’t help but add, “Pawns are built to be sacrificed Longarm. And I won’t let that happen to my son.”

It was at that moment that that Shockwave realized that Cliffjumper wasn’t as blindly loyal to the Autobots as he’d originally thought. He was loyal to Axletron. And he’d stick with him no matter what. And that made the wheels start turning in his head. He couldn’t turn Cliffjumper, but maybe he didn’t need to. The way things were going, Alpha Trion would do all the work for him. He’d turn the sparkling against him with his overbearing god-complex.  

Worried at the head of Intel’s silence, Cliffjumper broke and asked worriedly, “I am I overreacting? I know I do that.” It was true. Cliffjumper had never been one to put rationality first. He lead with his spark, not his processor and he could admit that it put him into more than a few tough spots. But with this? He didn’t feel he was doing anything wrong putting Alpha Trion in his place where it concerned his son….

Smiling softly, Longarm shook his head, “To be completely honest, I don’t think so.”

The relief was so potent Cliffjumper sank deeply into the sofa, loose-limbed and relaxed. All the tension he’d been carrying around all day rolled off his shoulders. Longarm didn’t think he was overreacting, and this was the bot whose job was literally to read bots and identify threats. He couldn’t afford to be anything but calm and collected and sure.

Accepting the bot’s reaction as a good sign, Longarm continued. “You’re the parent. You decide how you want Axletron raised. Do you want him to grow into his own bot? Or do you want him to grow into the Bot Alpha Trion wants him to be?”

“Axletron is his own bot. And he needs to make his own decisions, for better or worse. What Alpha Trion is doing, is trying to fit him into a mold he wasn’t made to fit.” Cliffjumper explained.

Longarm nodded along. “Axletron may have the body of a warlord, but without the training, he’s no different from any other bot. And it’s not like Galvatron is here training him…” Longarm added, though inwardly, Shockwave shuddered. Wouldn’t that be wonderful! To have a warlord back in command, leading the way, teaching the future generations how to really act like Cybertronians to the spark! Curious, and maybe just a bit hopeful, he asked Cliffjumper one more question. “Do you really think Alpha Trion has anything to worry about?”

Cliffjumper burst out laughing! The idea that Axletron would have a bad unit in his body was absolutely hilarious! The sparkling had been afraid to pet the cyber rabbits on D’Hoonnib for fear of hurting them! “No! Not a thing!” he gasped out between chortles!

Longarm smiled softly at the minibot, his true optic glowing brightly. Today was turning out to be a very productive cycle. He’d gotten Cliffjumper’s trust back, cast Alpha Trion in a bad light and made the wonderful discovery that Cliffjumper was willing to do anything for his son, even if he turned against the Autobots! Oh, oh, if he played his cards right, Axletron and Longarm would be having a similarly beneficial spark-to-spark soon too! The perfect opportunity to plant a few seeds of doubt in the sparkling’s processer!

Yes, it was a great cycle indeed!

End Chapter 97

 


	98. FlipSides

Chapter 98: FlipSides

It seemed Shockwave’s luck had taken a turn for the better after his conversation with Cliffjumper. Alpha Trion was getting the cold shoulder while he and the mini were back to collaborating together on larger projects, namely the Decepticon attacks on their borders. Learning from his past mistake, Shockwave never mentioned, or even hinted at, Galvatron. Considering that his Lord was still missing, it wasn’t like he had anyone to report the new information to anyway.

So he continued with one of his larger pet projects: the infusion of sleeper agents into the Autobot population. Of course, with his cover as Head of Cybertronian Intel, he didn’t exactly have the spare time to scout for turncoats. He left that in the capable hands of his agent Rosanna.

Yes, Rosanna the pop star was a Decepticon. As if her song lyrics didn’t make it obvious.

Before Longarm had taken over Intel, Highbrow had set Blurr on the trail of one “Flipsides.” As creative a codename as one could expect from Autobots he supposed. They’d gotten pretty close to discovering the truth, narrowing it down to a bot in the entertainment guild.  After Highbrow’s _disappearance_ , the speedster had been reassigned, abandoning the hunt and giving “Flipsides” the freedom to do more of what she was best at.

Rosanna had two jobs under Shockwave: 1) Engage the masses and use their force to challenge the council when needed and 2) find bots what could be used as sleeper agents and bring them to Shockwave. 

The first was easy enough for her; the second was a bit trickier. While her music was made to call out to everybot’s inner Decepticon, finding the true bots in crowds of thousands required a lot more effort. But she’d gotten pretty good at it. Fan meet-ups, get togethers, contest winners, her biggest fans were always Decepticons in spirt if not in brand. And so she’d chat with them and hang with them and find out how they really felt about the Decepticons. Most times, they confessed to liking their enemies, admiring them from afar, wishing they could be them like they wished they could be Rosanna. The few times her plans had gone south forced Rosanna to backtrack and do damage control. Luckily those times were few and far between. Those bots she did find worthy were then invited to a special sleep-over at Rosanna’s mansion.

Tomorrow morning, there would be 5 new sleeper agents in the Autobot population. Autobots painted sleeper agents as brainwashed zombies or innocent citizens bound with slave coding, which was ridiculous since the Decepticons were as against slave coding as the Autobots. Both groups remembered the history of their species, forced into submission by the Quintessons and their slave programing, and neither group was eager to see that coding reappear.

The truth about sleeper agents were that they were totally willing Decepticons or Decepticon sympathizers, whose knowledge of their true loyalty was temporary blocked. They simply didn’t know they were Decepticons, only recently inducted and lacking the formal branding. They weren’t aware that they were anything more than the average bot, going about their daily lives. Until their coding was activated, their mission was kept in a locked box deep in their mind, untouchable and safe.

What activated this sleeper coding? Aside from a few very unique situations that Shockwave had to specifically detail in case of emergency, such as a breech risk or renegade agent, only word from their superior could awaken a sleeper agent from their ignorance. After that, subroutines with instructions were activated and the bots took up their missions and posts.

The rest of the time, they remained as ignorant as their loyal Autobot counterparts, totally unaware of the threats hidden in plain sight, another secret on a planet of hidden agendas and plots that very few bots were even aware of. Shockwave was more the pleased at the knowledge his position held.  

One of the many, many perks of being in Intel was participation in the formation of evacuation plans. It was in those meetings that Shockwave became privy to information only bots old enough to have been there knew, otherwise. That the Metroplex was built on top of the older base from the First War was old news. What most didn’t know was that most of that old base was still intact. In particularly good condition were the underground tunnels that were once used for medical and supply transport. There were reinforced and had remained so since they were built. Access to them was restricted, but since Ultra Magnus had left the planet, Shockwave had been making liberal use of them to get off base and meet with Rosanna.

Tonight was another “conversion session.” After dark, when he’d parted ways with Cliffjumper and made to head home, he snuck into a small alley on base, hidden from the cameras and prying optics. If anyone had peeked into that same Alley a klik later, they wouldn’t find anyone, the crane having accessed a hidden panel and snuck into the tunnels, where he could release his true form and stretch his limbs after being constricted so tightly all day. The tunnels were completely unmonitored and stank with neglect and age, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.  As far a secret tunnels went, at least this one didn’t have walls that oozed slime.

After a quick scan to make sure he was going the right way, Shockwave trudged down the path that would take him closest to Rosanna’s home, thoughts on the upcoming procedure. He’d made adjustments to the sleeper coding, on the very slim chance Megatron should meet one of them and require assistance. As unlikely as it was, Shockwave prided himself on being prepared for every possibility, even the impossible ones. The new coding would activate if Megatron was seen or heard by the agent, issuing orders to serve and protect. Until Megatron was back in a position of power, the agent’s job would be isolation and delivery to Decepticon allies. When the coding activated, data bursts with the Decepticon chain of command and safe locations were also released.

Shockwave hoped his hard work wouldn’t go to waste. Rosanna picked her victims from her fan base, which reached far and wide, but rarely high on any social ladder. Such intricate coding would be useless if the bot never ventured outside a city space. One couldn’t expect the leader of the Decepticons to come to them after all.

When Shockwave reached his destination, he transformed back into Longarm before walking out into the street again, heading for the back entrance to Rosanna’s home. It would have been infinity more simple to explain a visit from the Head of Intel vs a Decepticon should they ever get caught after all.

Rosanna’s mansion was exactly what you’d expect from a pop superstar. It was large, ostentatious, over-the top; filled to the brim with memorabilia, chandeliers and instruments.  It boasted a swimming pool, an indoor bowling alley and a recording studio.  It housed all her stuff and her only companions: her exotic pets. Aside from the minimal staff, Rosanna had full domain over her space. There would be no one interrupting them.

In a backroom, near the main living room but hidden behind a disguised wall was Shockwave’s lab space. It was in this cold, sterile environment that he hacked into his more-or-less willing victims and buried protocols so deep into their processors they had no idea they ever even been hacked. A wiped memory was only part of the procedure after all. Every victim left thinking they’d had a lovely sleepover with their idol Rosanna.  

As Shockwave set up, the door behind him slid open, allowing the excited rambling of Rosanna’s fans to filter in from the main living room for a moment before the door shut once more. They knew they were going to become Decepticons and help the cause, they just didn’t know how.

Rosanna greeted her superior in a tone that was just this side of cheeky, “Not long now Sir, they just drank the last of the energon.” She was referring of course to the energon laced with a sleeping additive which she always used for the ‘we-just-became-Decepticons’ toast. They’d be knocked out cold for several micro-cycles soon enough.

“Who do you have for me today Rosanna?” Shockwave asked as he prepared his tools.

“Five, sir. One works in the police force, two are manufactures, and the last two are researchers; they plan to go on a deep space exploration trip soon.”

Pleased with the selections, Shockwave’s optic flashed brightly and he clinched his claws in anticipation. “Wonderful. I’ve prepared a new subprogram for this group. Bring me the researchers first.”

The process of hacking someone was delicate and precise work, which was one of the reasons the room Shockwave worked in was completely soundproof. Rosanna dragged the first bot in and laid her on the table. “This one and the next one are research assistants to Rad, a bit low on the food chain right now, but some day…”   

With an understanding nod, Shockwave dismissed the femme with a soft order, “I tell you when to bring the next one in.”

Nodding, Rosanna returned to the living room to trash it, tossing empty energon cubes and snack bags around the floor, stacking holovids in disorganized piles near the tv screen, bunching up piles of blankets and pillows; making the whole room look like the end result of an epic party. She’d do the same to the kitchen and bathroom after Shockwave switched patients.

While Rosanna was a talented singer and skilled Decepticon, her talents certainly didn’t lie in her servos. She had all the surgical grace of a stampeding cyber-buffalo. After she’d accidently fried one of their earliest subjects, Shockwave had taken her off hacking duty, telling her to focus more on her political interference with the council, which she could admit enjoying.  After all, who didn’t like shaking a few old rust buckets into shape? With the public’s support she was able to get away with most anything. Especially useful was when she endorsed or ridiculed a council member. The public was fickle but the pop star had them eating out of her servo! It was quite the power rush!

Unfortunately, lately she hadn’t been sure where all that power was going. With Megatron AWOL, most likely dead, the Decepticon chain of command had gotten a bit…shuffled? While she knew Shockwave would always be her superior, she wasn’t entirely sure as to his role in the new regime, especially with Megatron’s other lieutenants. Starscream wasn’t around to do his duty as second-in-command (a fact that had Rosanna giggling at the irony) and the third in command had always been a bit of an unclear positon. Shockwave was head of R&D and Intel, but Lugnut was closest to Megatron, and Strika was their highest ranking general. With the stability of the Decepticons as a government in such poor state, Rosanna was amazed they’d managed to get anything done, let alone keep the Magnus off the planet while they worked so successfully. 

Smirking softly, a new song forming in her head, she put aside her concerns and continued working, bringing Shockwave a new patient when he called and dragging the old ones to a spot somewhere in the living room to sleep the drugs and procedure off.

When the last bot was finished, Shockwave cleaned and put all of his tools away quickly and efficiently as Rosanna dragged the last one to the living room to dump them on a pile of blankets.

Shockwave walked out to the kitchen when he was ready, where she was waiting with energon. “Alright. Wait at least 2 deca-cycles before you bring the next group. Ultra Magnus is scheduled to return for 2 mega-cycle next deaca-cycle for repairs to the Steel Haven and a rest period.  No activities are to take place while he is planet side. Is that understood?”

“No Problem Sir. I’m going on a concert tour anyway.”

“Good. We don’t want him catching wind of anything.”

Deciding it was now or never, and praying to Primus she was too useful to kill, Rosanna spoke up. “Sir?” Shuffling awkwardly for a moment before catching herself, the diva stood up straight. “I don’t mean to question your orders, it’s just…we’re building an army without a leader…”

Shockwave’s gaze narrowed sharply. “We have a leader, but as he is not here to give us new orders we shall follow those he left us with until he returns.”

Even more nervous now, the pop princess couldn’t stop from wringing her servos together nervously, “ But what if he doesn’t come back sir? What if he really is offline, like Lord Galvatron?”  She whispered.

Shockwave’s optics flashed in anger. Only his respect for Rosanna as an agent kept him from gutting her for her disloyalty. Speaking lowly and coolly, he declared, “Until we have laid optics on his burnt out husk, we will act under the idea that Lord Megatron is functioning and working to regain our home planet for the Decepticons. Do you understand?”

Chilled and more than a little intimidated by her commander’s icy tone, Rosanna nodded shakily, “Yes Sir. Perfectly.”

“Good. Find more agents. We want to have everything ready for when Megatron arrives.”

“Yes Sir!”

Rosanna could only hope their great leader would return soon…

End Chapter 98

 

 


	99. The Evil Babysitter

Chapter 99: The Evil Babysitter

Cliffjumper hated business trips. He downright loathed them. They were right up there with height limits and organaphobes. And here he was packing for one.

He got it. He knew why he was chosen to go out. It was too much to send Longarm Prime out; bigger security risk, not only to him but also to the Intel Division. Cliffjumper, as Longarm’s second, had enough authority and knowhow to get the job done, but wasn’t as big a target. And someone needed to check in on the new prison reforms. Not only in Trypticon, but the other prisons as well. So Cliffjumper was going on some twisted idea of a tour to make sure everything was kosher. A tour that lasted 3 solar-cycles, and that was after re-doing the schedule to get everything done faster. He didn’t want to be away from Axletron any longer than he had to be.

Closing his small care case and putting it in his subspace, Cliffjumper moved to check his weapons one last time, worrying his derma as he thought back on his conversation with Longarm Prime.

\---

He’d been trying to postpone the trip. “Are you sure this can’t wait a little longer Longarm Prime?” Cliffjumper had asked a little desperately, “a mega-cycle more?”

“I’m sorry Cliffjumper,” Longarm replied sadly with shake of his head. “I’ve tried, but the council insisted we do it now. Rosanna is throwing the public into a frustrated frenzy. They’re worried if we don’t appease her with a review and inspection from a competent officer, she’ll start pointing fingers and asking for heads.” Seeing Cliffjumper’s concerned expression, and the mini’s nervous habit of clenching and unclenching his fists, Longarm stooped a little to look the red bot in the optics, “Let me talk to the council once more, maybe I can convince them to let me go inst—”

Cliffjumper cut him off with a harsh shake of his helm, “No. Longarm, you’re the head of Intel! You need to stay here. I’ll go, don’t worry. I…I just need to find a babysitter for Axletron. He can’t be alone for 3 cycles. I’d call Hound and Mirage but they’re both on vacation. Ultra Magnus and Jazz are off planet. Perceptor would get distracted with his own work and Wheeljack would let him run wild and…and I’m worried Kup would have trouble keeping up with him…”Cliffjumper became more and more silent as he tried to think of a solution.

“What about Alpha Trion?” Longarm asked.

Cliffjumper couldn’t keep himself from grimacing, “I don’t…trust Alpha Trion to take care of Axletron for too long right now. A few micro-cycles are fine, but 3 whole solar cycles?”

“I…” Clearing his throat nervously, Longarm averted his gaze, “I could watch him. I admit I feel guilty about sending you on this trip…”

“Longarm—”

“Besides” Longarm added with a nervous chuckle, “we’re essentially on the same schedule. I’d just need to leave a bit earlier than usual. Axle can still go to his lessons. But of course if you don’t feel comfortable with that—”

“No!” Cliffjumper protested. “It’s not that. It’s just a lot to ask…” He murmured. This was so weird. Out of all the bots he’d ever asked to babysit Axletron, he’d known Longarm for the shortest amount of time, first as a student and then a superior. Sometimes it was difficult to get a handle on their relationship. Sure they were friends, but he was also his boss. Surely this was asking for too much?

But the crane didn’t seem to thinks so, instead replying, “I don’t mind Cliffjumper. Really.”

Longarm could see the exact instant Cliffjumper had given in, his shoulders slumped even as he stopped chewing on his derma and smiled up at his superior, “….Thanks Longarm. It would be great if you could watch Axletron while I’m gone.”

\---

And now here Cliffjumper was, waiting for the crane to arrive so he could head out to Trypticon tonight and be there first thing in the morning.

Axletron was pretending to read on the sofa. He stared at the data pad, but Cliffjumper hadn’t seen him scroll to the next page in a while. The sparkling attention was entirely on his mother, listening as the mini puttered about the house, putting away the odd toy or data pad, double checking all the locks and the fridge, trying to get rid of some nervous energy. Axletron was trying to calm his mind and control his breathing. His mom was going to be completely gone for 3 cycles, alone! What if something happened? What if the Decepticons in the prison got out? Or if someone tried to take his Mom again? What if he fell and hit his helm and could remember anything!? Axletron would never know!

He’d already asked Cliffjumper if he could go with him, but Cliffjumper had told him no straight out, so here he was sitting on the sofa, pretending not to be worried.

A soft knock at the door drew both of the bot’s attentions.

Cliffjumper answered it. “Hey Longarm, come on in. I’m almost ready to go.”

“Thank you Cliffjumper.” Spotting Axle sitting on the sofa, Longarm greeted him as well, “Hello Axletron.”

“Hi Longarm, how’s it going?” the sparkling asked, standing up and putting the data pad on the side table. Now that Longarm was here, Cliffjumper would he heading out. The mini came back in from his office, locking the door behind him and moving to hug his sparkling.

“Ok, I’m all set. Axletron, you know all the rules. Please be good for Longarm Prime. I’ll call you every cycle. Don’t forget to eat and I don’t just mean energon goodies. If you need _anything_ , call me and I’ll come home right away. I love you. I’ll see you in 3 cycles.”

“Love you too mom” Axletron replied, hugging back, “Please be safe.”

That made Cliffjumper laugh a little, “Oh Axletron, you little worrywart, I’ll be fine. I’ll be home before you know it. Promise.”

And with a final wave, Cliffjumper was off, leaving his sparkling and an undercover Decepticon alone for 3 cycles.

\---

DAY 1

Inside the relative safety of his own helm, Shockwave could only marvel at the situation he found himself in. He, one of the greatest scientists the Decepticons had, had plotted to babysit a sparkling, had told his agent to cause trouble just at this time so he could literally watch a sparkling for 3 days. This is what his training was going for. No one could say he was not dedicated to his cause. With Megatron still missing, and Galvatron refusing to take over the Decepticons, Shockwave couldn’t let Axletron be permanently corrupted by the Autobots! Going off Galvatron’s and Megatron’s examples, the sparkling would become a great leader, Alpha Trion saw that, as did Shockwave, and he refused to let that potential be blindly wasted and abused for some old coot’s plans.

He had 3 days to make Axletron see that the Autobots weren’t all he thought they were, and neither were the Decepticons!

Their first evening together had been quiet. Cliffjumper had barely left and Axletron was adjusting to not having his mother within walking distance. They spent the evening reading before going to bed. The house being for military sized bots, Shockwave was able to stretch his limbs a bit in the guest bedroom. He’d contemplated breaking into Cliffjumper’s office, but Intel 101 taught bots that a break in was inevitable, so if you couldn’t prevent it, you had to know when it happened. Cliffjumper would have left a program or subroutine to notify him if someone accessed his office.

So Longarm focused his attention on Axletron.

Their first morning together went rather well in Shockwave’s opinion. Axletron was a very well behaved child, inquisitive and cheerful. He was also a morning person. Habit had forced Shockwave to become the same, but he still felt better after his morning energon, and chose to remain silent during most of breakfast. Cliffjumper had managed to call as well, to greet them quickly before heading into the prison. If the minibot was exhausted he did a wonderful job of hiding it.

After that, Longarm and Axletron headed into work, parting ways when Axle went to the science lab for his lessons with Perceptor.

They met up for lunch in Longarm’s office, and it was there that the double agent first noticed how much energon Axletron consumed. The sparkling downed 4 cubes before slowing down to sip his 5th. Longarm thought back to breakfast. Cliffjumper had left enough meals to get them through each cycle. It had been pretty heavy, certainly high in nutrients and materials. After all, it’d managed to fill shockwave up well enough and he was a lot larger than he looked. Was it just regular energon that wasn’t filling? That could mean that Axletron required a higher grade.

Shockwave wouldn’t be surprised if that was it. Minibots ran on less energon than most bots, but military bots needed higher quality fuel or more of the standard grade. “Axletron?”

The sparkling looked up from his cube, thoughts on his mother and what he was doing. Would he eat or skip lunch to get more work done? “Yes Longarm Prime?” he asked.

“How many cubes of standard energon to you consumer per sitting?”

Tilting his head in confusion, Axletron thought it over, “um, 5 or 6 if it’s just energon.”

“Hmm, you may want to talk to Cliffjumper and Perceptor about military grade energon.”

“Military grade? But I’m not a military bot.”

“But your fath—“ Longarm abruptly cut himself off, hurriedly adding “I mean, you’re still growing, and you’re already gaining on your mother’s height. I think you’re going to be a lo—little taller than him. It might be worth checking out.”

Axletron stared unabashedly at his babysitter. He was positive Longarm was going to say his father was a military bot! That had to be the explanation for why Axletron would need to drink military grade energon.  But he was too afraid to ask for more info, when Longarm had already let something slip, so he simply nodded, “Oh, I’ll ask.”

They returned to silence after that. When Axletron had his lesson with Wheeljack, he brought it up with his mentor, who immediately brought it up with Perceptor, who immediately agreed. They even managed to get Cliffjumper on a conference call while he was heading towards his next meeting to fill him in on their thoughts and get his permission to give Axle military grade starting the next cycle.

Cliffjumper couldn’t help but feel guilty for not noticing his son’s needs sooner. This was exactly what he’d dreaded. His son’s military coding was rearing its head and he had no idea how to handle it. Galvatron would have known what to do. Galvatron would have noticed when standard energon wasn’t enough. Galvatron would have been able to do so much, so much Cliffjumper couldn’t for their son…and for them. But instead Cliffjumper was alone. And if he took a klik to curl into himself and let his spark call out for Galvatron between quiet sobs…well, no one was around to see or hear.

He made sure to call Longarm to thank him for his help when he gathered himself and moved towards the next prison, deciding to drive instead of sleep again.

\---

DAY 2

Axletron had slept poorly, tossing and turning in bed. In the middle of the night, he snuck out of his room and went to his mother’s, where he spent the rest of the night.

In the morning, after going into Axletron’s room and panicking for a brief moment when he wasn’t in his bed, Shockwave wondered if he’d gotten soft during his tenure as an Autobot, since he hadn’t heard the sparkling get up during recharge.  Instead, he found the sparkling curled into a small ball on Cliffjumper’s berth.

“Axletron?” He asked softly, approaching the bed and glancing around the room. It was large, but pretty bare. Pictures took up most of the room. But he had a youngling to focus on. “Are you alright?”

The bungle trembled a little, but he got a nod in response. Axletron was obviously upset, but was trying to deal with it on his own. Such a strong-sparked bot he was, unwilling to trouble others. The sparkling missed his mother. After all, they’d never been parted for long. With a sigh, Longarm tugged the blankets off the sparkling, unwrapping him from his warm cocoon “Come on, let’s get breakfast.”

Crawling off the bed, the sparkling silently made his way downstairs, the slump in his shoulders making it obvious how unhappy he was. He missed his mother. Missed his voice and the way he’d tickle him to wake up even though he was a zombie in the morning and how he’d ask about his plans for the day and make breakfast while watching the news or listing to the radio.

The sparkling sat at the table and let his helm lay flat on the surface. Placing his morning energon in the sparkling’s sight, Longarm took his own seat. “Come now, Axletron, buck up.” Longarm said with a small smile, “We don’t want to start the day off badly do we?”

Pausing for a moment, Axletron sat up slowly and grabbed his energon, mumbling, “No…” before taking a sip.

Pleased that the sparkling was at least eating and recognizing the bot was tired and probably cranky, Longarm keep his face neutral and reassuring as he asked, “Miss your mom?”

Shrugging awkwardly, Axletron avoided looking up, playing with his fork instead.

Sliding a servo across the table, Longarm patted the sparkling’s smaller hand, “It’s ok, he’ll be home tomorrow night. You know he didn’t want to go on this trip.”

“Then why did he?” Axletron snapped, temper flaring for a moment before his optics fogged up in distress and he averted his gaze back to the table. He didn’t want to cry. He didn’t like this. He was fine, or so he told himself. He could handle this. He could be a big bot while his mom was away.

Longarm replied frankly, hoping to evade a fully distressed sparkling, “The council needed him to check on the prison reforms. They’re under a lot of pressure right now because of Rosanna.”

The reply seemed to throw Axletron off enough to stop the coming tantrum and he looked at Longarm with a very perplexed look, “The pink singer told them to do it?” He knew who Rosanna was, they had a television. He didn’t know much about her though. Axletron didn’t watch much TV.

Cliffjumper sometimes left it on while he was cooking, and her songs played on the radio, but aside from that, their screen was used to play whatever holo-vids Cliffjumper and his friends had been able to scrounge up or duplicate from the old days.

In a world full of adult mechs, very little was sparkling-appropriate. The only holo-vids Cliffjumper was able to show Axletron were literally vorns old, from when there were actually enough children to entertain. Whatever child industry was left was mostly aimed at alien races and none were actually on Cybertron. So it was no surprise that Axletron was confused. “How?” he asked; the only bots Axletron had ever head of the Council listening to was Ultra Magnus, but he was Magnus! Why would a singer be able to tell Alpha Trion and the others what to do? To tell his mother what to do?

Longarm took a deep breath before explaining. “The council is meant to be a republican system. So long as the people want the bots there, that’s where they’ll stay. So the bots have to keep the people happy. And since the people love Rosanna, the council has to keep her happy. And she wanted someone to check the prisons this mega-cycle. The council couldn’t wait any longer.”

Axletron was frowning softly, brow furrowed in thought. That certainly didn’t sound like how Alpha Trion had described the council. He’d told Axletron that the members were all specialists in their field, chosen for their experience and expertise. Some jobs like Longarm’s and Perceptor’s were earned over time, but others, like the guild heads were dependent on the people. The people. Not a pop star. “But what about Ultra Magnus?” Didn’t he have any say in this?

“He was elected too, at first.” Longarm explained, “But he’s mainly in charge of the military. The council is in charge of the planet.”

“But…but it sounds like Rosanna is in charge…” Axletron exclaimed, squirming uncomfortably in his seat.

Grimacing, Longarm shrugged awkwardly. “I know it may seem that way, but in the big picture she’s not as powerful as you think. She’s only trouble when she takes an interest in something, and she usually has better things to do.”

“But she-”

The ringing of the video phone cut the sparkling off. It was Cliffjumper! Purging all previous thoughts, Axletron rushed to the screen and activated it with a smile, happy as punch to see his mother. “Mom!”

Smiling back, Cliffjumper waved at him, “Good morning Axletron, Longarm, how are you guys doing? What have you got planned for today Axletron?” he asked, as though he was right there with Axletron, sipping his morning energon at the table and Axletron felt lighter.

As the sparkling spoke with Cliffjumper, Longarm took in the minibot’s appearance. The metal under his optics was tinted darkly, it didn’t seem like the mini was getting much recharge. His optics looked a bit too bright as well, probably high-power energon. Seemed the red bot was stressed as well, and eager to be back home. Keeping the scowl off his faceplate, Shockwave wondered what else he could tell Axletron in his ever shrinking window. He’d already hinted at Axletron’s father, no doubt making the bot curious about his military build parent. And now he was sure he’d instilled a seed of doubt in the sparkling’s mind regarding the Autobot’s governmental set up,  which was really just a big popularity contest. It had the potential to be great, but not with such weak and manipulative leadership. What else could he do…hmm. 

“Alright, you have a good day Axletron, I’ll talk to you later, I love you!” Looking up, Longarm saw the sparkling’s conversation with Cliffjumper was over. It was almost time for them to leave as well. Cliffjumper probably had a meeting too.

“Bye Mom!” Axletron cried out with an energetic wave. “I love you too!”  

“Bye sweet-spark. Goodbye Longarm.”

The screen went dark. Axletron took a deep breath, clinging to the joy seeing his mother had brought him, as he headed upstairs to get ready for the day.

But don’t think his conversation with Longarm wasn’t forgotten. Axletron wondered at what he’d just learned about their governmental body and the fact that a pop star could control the planet because she was popular. And he couldn’t help but worry about that. Was that really the best way to run things? What good was the council without public support? How did they get anything done? And most importantly, what did that mean for his mom?

\---

The second evening, Longarm and Axletron sat together in the living room. Axletron was doodling while Longarm was reading some reports.

“What do you think Mom’s doing right now?” Axletron asked suddenly. He’d last spoken with his mother right before dinner.  The minibot had called from his hotel room, and in the window in the background, Axletron had seen a city, with thousands of lights and huge soaring buildings.

Sparing a glance at the clock on the wall, Longarm replied softly, “Hmm, it’s evening, the prison would be closed by now, he could be grabbing dinner, maybe a show.”

Axletron looked up from his drawing, “A show?”

“I hear Mad Maxal is out. He seems like the type to enjoy action movies. Then again, Kaon has a great theatre district, does he like musicals?”

Looking up when he didn’t get a reply, Longarm saw Axletron frowning softly, his brow furrowed and his denta chewing softly on his derma.

“You’ve never been to a theatre, have you?” Longarm asked softly, sadly, already knowing the answer. The sparkling could only shake his head. Letting out a soft sigh, Longarm put down his pad and sat up straight. “You know all those holo-vids you have on that shelf over there?” Longarm asked, pointing to their movie collection. “Before they’re on disks, they’re shown in a theatre. It’s a large room with a giant projector or stage. There are hundreds of seats, and people from all walks of life come to see new films together in the dark. Sometimes, instead of a film, they’ll watch a play, where actual bots perform on a stage, singing or dancing or acting out a story right in front of you.”

“Oh…that sounds really cool…” Axletron replied, trying to imagine it. “There isn’t anything like that on base. Is there?” he asked hopefully., only to slump down when Longarm shook his head.

“I’m afraid all that is off base, in the city. Wouldn’t want the troops distracted after all.”

“Have you ever been to a play like that?” Axletron asked

“A few” Longarm replied softly, “I went to a concert in the park last mega-cycle, it was very enjoyable.”

“What’s that?”

“A concert in the park is sort of like a musical, only it’s in a park, outside, under the stars. Bots come with blankets and food and sit and listen to music as it’s played. Sometimes there’s a light show that goes along with it.”

“Can you take me to one?” the sparkling asked, sending his baby-optics full force at his babysitter.

Shockwave was surprised to find himself waver, just a little, at the sight. “I…I can’t Axletron.” Longarm replied, looking away sharply.

“Why not?” Axletron prodded, his voice soft.

“Too many bots. Too dangerous. Can’t risk it.” Longarm explained with a shake of his head.

“But we’re on Cybertron. Cybertron is safe…isn’t it?” he asked, suddenly growing very concerned when Longarm looked away guiltily.

Sighing sadly, the crane shook his head, “I wish it were, but no planet is every completely safe.”

“Decepticons?” Axle gasped out, spark beating frantically as unhappy memories flooded to the forefront of his processor.

“Maybe. There are always spies, but also regular bots. Criminals, thieves, bots down on their luck or just plain bad.” Longarm explained. He didn’t want Axletron to think the only threat out there were Decepticons. A bot was more likely to get mugged on Cybertron than they were to meet a Decepticon.  

Frowning, but understanding Longarm’s point, Axletron’s nodded sadly, his shoulders slumping, as he dejectedly returned to his data pad, scribbling aimlessly.

Looking guilty, pretending to nervously chew his derma, Longarm wrung his servos for a few kliks before glancing at the door, and then back at a discouraged Axletron, and then back at the door. Squaring his shoulders, he stood up and held his servo out to the sparkling. “I can’t take you into the city, but I can take you stargazing.” He offered.  

Looking up at his babysitter, Axletron tilted his head in confusion, “Stargazing?”

“I know the perfect spot. Come on.” Longarm added with a soft smile.

With a sigh, Axletron returned the smile as best he could and took Longarm’s servo. The crane quickly pulled him towards the door. Checking for any witnesses, Longarm tugged him out the gate towards the base. They jogged along for a few kliks, skirting around the dorms and the student rec center. Soon enough, they were at the far end of the base. “Stay low” Longarm instructed, “The cameras are focused on the top of the gates.” Grabbing the bottom of the chain link fence, he ushered Axletron through before following, shrinking himself as small as he could. 

They stayed low till they were over the hill. From then on, they climbed up, moving away from both the base and the city. “Where are we going” Axletron asked, no longer able to keep his curiosity inside.

“The communications towers hill.” Longarm answered, pointing up at the large towers looming ahead of them.

It got darker as they got closer to the hill. Axletron had to keep his optics on the road to keep from tripping over a rock. The climb wasn’t too steep, but when he looked back, they loomed over the city. Axletron looked on in awe at the bright streets and the thousands of lights. It was odd, next to the city, the base looked to dark and plain.

“Axletron! Come on” Longarm called out, driving the sparkling’s attention back on the climb. They were almost at the towers.

“The city looks to big from here” Axletron called out, hopping over a small ditch to catch up to Longarm.

“Just wait till you see the stars.” Longarm replied. Huffing softly when they reached the top, Longarm pointed out towards the sky, “Look.”

Axletron couldn’t stop his gasp in surprise as he looked out into the night sky. Despite the closeness of the city, thousands of stars were visible, mixing in with the nebulas in space beautifully. Watching over them was Lunar Base 2, one of their enormous glowing moons. The stars were bright spheres of light, completely outshining the city behind Axletron with their brightness and numbers.

The two bots sat down lightly on the dirt, looking at the sky.

Pointing his servo up, Longarm extended his arm towards the sky, “Look, do you see that large red star?” he asked, waiting for the sparkling’s affirmative nod, “That’s Galleon, the mining planet.” The star flickered red and orange, like it was on fire, even though Axletron knew it was a whole planet. “And over there is Dread.” Longarm added, pointing at a small silver star in the distance.

As they watched, a comet streaked across the sky in a white blaze of power. Axletron could only stare, slack jawed at the sight. Longarm smirked. “and that’s Frehley’s Comet.”

“It’s awesome!” Axletron exclaimed. “It was so fast! And bright!”

“It only shows up every 80 vorns. We were very lucky to see it tonight.”  

They sat together for over a mega-cycle, staring up at the sky. Longarm pointed out stars and told Axletron their names, sometimes their stories. But eventually, it got late, and they both had to get up in the morning, so they began to head back.

Ask they maneuvered their way down the hill, in the dark, Axletron, who had been holding his glossa earlier, to avoid spoiling the moment, finally asked, with a light huff, “So you’re willing to sneak me off base, but you’re not willing to tell me anything about my dad?”

Almost as if he’d been expecting the question, Longarm responded softly, “It’s not right to tell other people’s secrets. You’re essentially asking me to betray your mother’s trust and let me tell you that that isn’t an easy thing to gain to begin with. Why do you think I’m the one babysitting you and not Alpha Trion?” He reached out a servo to help the sparkling down from a little peak.

“My mom doesn’t trust him with me anymore…” Axletron whispered softly as the larger bot brought him down to his level.

Longarm nodded, “Exactly. You are everything to him Axletron, you must see that…”

They continued on in silence for a few kliks, lost in their own thoughts. But before they went over the hill that would return them to base, Longarm knelt in front of Axletron and gripped on of his shoulders, “Listen Axletron, I know you’re curious about your dad. And I can’t tell you much, but I will tell you this. You come from a grand and powerful legacy Axletron, but you don’t need to know it to uphold it, it’s in your code.”

The sparkling bit his derma. He wanted to know more. So much more. But Longarm just smiled softly, “Now let’s think about better things. If you don’t mind, I’d rather your mother didn’t know I snuck you off base.”

“What are you talking about Longarm Prime? We were home all night.” Axletron replied with a smirk that reminded Shockwave very much of his lord’s.

“Exactly.”

They made their way back into the base and no one was the wiser.

\---

DAY 3

On the third day, Longarm let Axletron sleep in a little longer than usual. It was a testament to how tired the sparkling was that he didn’t wake up with the dawn.

Cliffjumper would be returning that afternoon. He’d report to Longarm tomorrow.

 

He wanted to introduce Axletron to one more concept before he left. He’d already shaken the sparkling’s trust in the Autobot government and made him curious about his father, now he just had to make him see that the Decepticons weren’t as bad as he thought they were.

The opportunity came that morning as Axletron drank his morning energon. “Better finish that Axletron,” Longarm urged softly, “There are many bots that wouldn’t appreciate you wasting it.”

Frowning softly, the sparkling looked at his cube in contemplation. His mother often told him something similar, ‘finish that up Axletron, wouldn’t want it to go to waste’, ‘don’t forget to finish your energon, it doesn’t do any good forgotten in a cube’, “drink all your energon, you may regret it later.’ He’d never really implied that other bots wouldn’t like him wasting it though. So he asked, very curiously, “What do you mean?”

“Oh, sorry” Longarm replied bashfully, “Force of habit I suppose. My parents used to tell me that all the time.”

“Why?”

“Well, energon wasn’t as plentiful back then as it is now. And a lot of bots had to do without. Some still do.”

“There wasn’t energon?” Axletron asked in surprise. How was that even possible? Perceptor had explained the energon farms to him, how they made enough energon through careful calculation and how bots worked to keep energon levels high.

“No. Before we learned how to harvest energon with Energon farms, we had to mine for it. It was hard, dangerous work. Thousands of bots lost their sparks in it, and never got enough energon for themselves. It’s what caused the first war.” He replied matter-of-factly, not wanting to seem too eager to teach the bot something. “Has Kup gone over the first war with you?” he asked curiously.

The sparkling shook his head, “No, just the second one.”

Smiling, Longarm sat a little straighter, as though he was giving a lesson, “Well, the first war, the one where Decepticons and Autobots first appeared as factions, was started by Galvatron, Megatron’s father. He was a military build. And he rebelled against the systematic oppression on military builds and the working class. You see, military builds were the ones that did most of the mining, since they were stronger, sturdier, and had trouble adjusting to civilian life, or so the nobles and politicians would have liked everybot to believe.” Taking another gulp of his enegon, Longarm made a show of thinking something over, “Remember the star I pointed out yesterday? Galleon, the mining planet? Autobots mined it so quickly and thoroughly it’s uninhabitable now. The entire planet is at danger of imploding, it’s so unstable. That should give you an idea of how dangerous mining was.”

Axletron could only blink is surprise and shock! An entire planet ruined by mining!? By Autobot mining!?  “It was that bad?” he asked nervously.

Longarm nodded sadly, “Yes, energon farming has helped avoid such things happening again…Mining was too risky anyway, politically speaking.”

“What do mean? Politically speaking?”

“Remember, the first war was started by miners, tired of being oppressed and enslaved. Mining isn’t fun work, it’s not safe or easy. No one would want to be a miner, and those that were could never get out of the job. Galvatron organized the miners and the military builds against their oppressors.”

“But…that sounds like something an Autobot would do.” Axletron said in confusion.

Longarm smiled softly, nodding, “yes well…the lines hadn’t been drawn in the sand yet at the time. He was just starting. When things didn’t work out diplomatically, that was when he tried to take the justice that had so long eluded him and his people. And war broke out.”

“…For the miners?” Axletron asked, staring into his cube.

“For them, the small laborers and the energon they never got to drink, though they died to get it.” Longarm replied sagely. “…Now that I think about it, I’m positive your mother was a miner.”

“My mom?” the sparkling asked, optics wide and a flashing brightly.

“Yes, minibots made up a fair portion of miners too. They were small and light, so they could test caverns and new veins before the larger, heavier miners would start digging there.”

Looking back at his cup, Axletron brought it to his derma and emptied his cube, not leaving a drop.

\---

That night, when Cliffjumper arrived, he was welcomed with a hug, which he warmly returned. The minibot was exhausted, but relieved to be home with his sparkling once again. After Longarm bid his goodbyes, they sat together on the sofa and watched a holovid, and Cliffjumper buried his child in souvenirs, much to the sparkling’s delight. Despite their excitement, however, bot bots were tired and called it an early night.

But while Cliffjumper was dead to the world as soon as he hit the pillow, Axletron had trouble falling asleep, his mind too cluttered with all he’d learned with Longarm Prime, about the council, the Decepticons, his father. He’d thought he’d known everything he needed to know about being an Autobot. You had to be good, you had to fight for freedom and justice, you had to support others and watch out for them.

Now, Axletron wasn’t sure about anything.

End Chapter 99


	100. You Know What They Say

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone! Happy New Year! 
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to those persons (or person) who has been leaving kudos for weeks now! Thank you for the encouragement! <3

Chapter 100: You Know What They Say About Curious Cyber Cats

When Axletron turned 13, he finally gathered the courage to question all his teachers on his true origins. Well, all but Alpha Trion and Longarm. Axletron didn’t think he was going to get anything out of his mentor and Longarm had already said no. But he had plenty of other teachers and he had a game plan for each one, ranging from his doe optics to righteous justice.

He started with the easiest one, his Uncle Wheeljack. Armed with some energon goodies his mom made, he greeted his engineering instructor with a wide smile, “Hi Uncle ‘Jack, I brought you something!”

Looking up from his project, Wheeljack’s helm-lights blinked in a way that usually meant his was smiling excitedly under his work mask. Putting down his soldering torch, he made gabby little hands at the package Axletron was holding up. “Oh Axletron, you truly are my favorite nephew!” The engineer’s flashed brightly as he stuffed himself with the cookies.

Laughing at the display, Axletron replied in his usual manner, “Uncle ‘Jack, I’m your only nephew!”

“My statement proves true!” Wheeljack added.

“Well, since I’m your favorite and only nephew, I was wondering if there was something you could help me with?” Axletron added, playing up the puppy optics and innocent expression.

Smiling at the display, Wheeljack’s optics blinked brightly before he gestured widely, “Lay it on me.”

“Well, I’ve been wondering for a while…” The sparkling’s expression suddenly turned dark and he turned away, “No, never mind, I probably shouldn’t bother you with it…”

“Well now I need to hear it.” Wheeljack replied with a chuckle.  Since Axletron continued to act reluctant, he added. “Come on, how bad can it be?”

“I don’t know” Axletron said softly, “I don’t think it’s bad, but everyone else seems to and I don’t understand why…”

Expression softening, lights blinking a soft pink, Wheeljack reached out a servo to rub Axletron between his horns. “That’s what your family and teachers are here for Axletron, to help you understand. I don’t know what is, but I’ll do my best.”

Taking a deep breath, Axletron asked softly, “Who’s my Dad?”

Wheeljack was suddenly choking on air. Coughing harshly and pounding himself on his chassis, he struggled to regain enough composure to ask, “What?!” that was not what he’d been expecting! AT ALL! Advice for an experiment his mother wouldn’t allow, sure. Maybe a reaction to a cute bot or some growing body thing, no big, but this!? “ W-why—?” he started to stutter, only to be interrupted.

“I’m 13 now Wheeljack, I’m not a little kid anymore. Why is it so wrong for me to know? Come on, you can tell me.”

“Axletron. No.” Wheeljack looked as though a part of him was dying inside as he said the word. He’d never had to deny Axletron anything; aside from those few times he’d wanted to play with something dangerous. But for those times he was totally justified. Denying Axletron his father, though he knew it was the right thing to do, still felt wrong.

“But-”

“No.” Wheeljack insisted. “Your mother is the only one who can tell you about your father. And until he decides the time is right, my dermas are welded.”

Seeing Axletron’s downtrodden expression, but refusing to give into it, Wheeljack light’s turned blue with sadness and regret as he finished the conversation with a soft, “Sorry Axletron.”

\---

While his first try was a bust, Axletron refused to get discouraged.

Perceptor was always honest with him. He didn’t feel the need to lie, finding it to be more trouble than it was worth. It didn’t mean he was loose lipped, it just meant he was blunt and straightforward, which was sort of how Axletron was hoping he’d be when Axletron asked him about his father.

He was sort of right.

Perceptor was the most candid in his rejection. “Yes, I know who your father is. No I will not tell you because Cliffjumper asked us not to and it is his choice to tell you or not. Whatever the case, knowing who your father is would change nothing about you or your life. You would still train, study, and eat sweets as though you would never see another one again. Now, back on topic. When constructing generators, one must always double check the flow…”

And that was that.

\---

Up next were Hound and Mirage. Axletron hadn’t really planned on asking Mirage, but the noble had just returned from a minor mission and was having lunch with Hound when Axletron came into the green bot’s office. So the sparkling took up a seat in front of Hound’s desk, the peds almost touching the floor.

He talked to them for a bit before dropping the question. “Uncle Hound, you were in the war with Mom right?”

“Yup! One of the best scouting teams there were, and not half bad in combat either” Hound replied, smiling bashfully.

“So you knew my Dad right?” Both Mirage and Hound went silent, looking suddenly spooked and uncomfortable. But Axletron persisted, trying to take the chance before they said no outright “What was he like? Was he nice? Funny?”

Hound’s faceplate suddenly looked pained and his fists clenched on his lap. Acting on instinct, Mirage slid his own servo to hold his lover’s as he replied. “Sorry Axletron. We didn’t really…run in the same circles I guess?”  he said, a little too lightly to seam sincere. The noble had plenty of experience deflecting awkward conversation topics after all. Despite his light-hearted tone, his gaze remained sharp and alert as he kept his optics on Hound’s faceplate.

Hound was looking even greener than usual, almost sick and Axletron worried instantly if he was the cause. Guilt welled up into his throat, “I’m sorry!” he stuttered, hopping off his seat of hold his uncle’s free servo, “I didn’t mean to make you sad, I’m sorry!”

After swallowing thickly, Hound shook his head, “No, Axle, I’m alright. You didn’t know…It’s not your fault…I just…bad memories I guess…”

Dark thoughts flowed into Axletron helm. Bad memories? Of his father? Was Axletron wrong? Was his dad actually a bad bot? He couldn’t imagine anyone being mean to _Hound_!

Suppressing a wince at how his lover’s words affected the sparkling, Mirage shook his head, “Don’t worry Axletron. Old memories pop up from the most random things, you can never know what will trigger it. Just leave it be for now. How about you tell us what you’ve been working on with Alpha Trion lately.”

Conversation smoothly switched to a new topic, the three bots spent the rest of their lunch in relative peace, though Axletron couldn’t stop the seed of worry from burying itself in his spark.

\---

Axletron turned to Kup next.

Kup was a bit of high strung and private mech by nature, and he didn’t appreciate being pushed into something with force, so Axletron was going to have to be more subtle with his questioning. The sparkling knew that if he could just get Kup into a storytelling mood, he might get somewhere. Right now, Kup was reminiscing about the rivalry between the builds.

“What about Uncle Sunny and Uncle Sides?” Axletron asked excitedly, eyes sparkling brightly, the dread of the idea of his father fading away behind the joy of the story Kup was building.

“Oh Primus, they were the worse!” Kup answered, “of course height was always a sensitive point with the minis, but the twins went out of their way to poke fun at them for it. Once, and I’m still not sure how they pulled it off, they somehow managed raised the chair heights throughout the entire base! There wasn’t a single seat a mini didn’t have to climb onto!”

Laughter flowed out of the older bot’s office, brightening up the hall space.  As Axletron giggled into his palms, Kup looked over the sparkling with a teasingly speculative glance, “Looks like that won’t work on you though sparklet, you’re sprouting up so fast your peds are almost touching the floor!”

Stretching out his peds to graze the carpet, Axletron smiled widely, and took his shot, “Was my dad tall?”

Kup tensed for a moment, biting down instinctively on his deactivated cy-gar before chuckling nervously, “Ah, your dad? Yeah, he was pretty tall I guess…”

“What else did I get from him?” Axletron asked, trying to keep the conversation going, “Do I look like him?”

Kup suddenly found the pads on his desk very interesting, responding distractedly, “You take after your mom more actually.”

Looking out the window of Kups office, Axle gave himself a once over in the glass reflection, mumbling softly, but loud enough for Kup to hear, “My paintjob, my horns, my shoulders and arm guards…but what about my peds?” he asked turning back to Kup. “And my chassis, and my helmet… Did I get those from him?”

Kup was quiet for a moment, and Axle worried if he’d said something wrong again, like he had with Hound. All the uncertainty of his father came flooding back into him. And then he wondered about those parts of him that didn’t resemble his mother, the sharper edges in stark contrast to the rounder and blocker build of his mother.

Unable to keep silent any longer, but not sure how to answer Axletron either, Kup could only shake his helm in confusion. “Kid, where is all this coming from?”

Suddenly feeling very much like he has when he’d gotten caught out of bed sneaking goodies from the cookie jar, Axletron immediately retreated. “Nowhere!...It’s just, I don’t know anything about him! That’s all, no big deal…”

But Kup wasn’t buying that. With a heavy sigh, Kup got up from his desk and knelt a bit to look at Axletron in the optic. Taller he may have been getting, but he still had a ways to go. “Listen Kid, I get it. You think you need to know who your dad was to figure out who you are…”

Optics burning a bit and throat suddenly feeling like it was stuffed with cotton, Axletron simply nodded and looked away, worried about what he’d see in his honorary grandpa’s optics.

Gripping the Sparkling’s chin softly, Kup made the sparking look at him face on. ““Kid, it doesn’t matter what you look like, or who your parents are or where you’re from. You’re your own bot. You gotta make your own path. Now quit fussing over the past, and focus on the now.”

And just like that, Kup switched their conversation back to his training and what he’d seen while on some far off planet and Axletron could only keep his pout off his faceplate and pretend to let the conversation go. Really though, he was just planning on what to do next.

\---

Running out on options, Axletron decided to try for the top gun, namely the leader of the Autobots: Ultra Magnus, who was luckily on the planet for repairs, and Axletron was not going to pass up on the opportunity to question his grandpa.

More than a bit frustrated at his utter lack of progress, Axletron met up with Ultra Magnus with a glum look on his faceplate. Naturally, the older bot couldn’t just ignore his honorary grandson’s sadness. Setting a cube in front of the slouching sparkling, Ultra Magnus took a seat next to him, “What’s wrong Axletron?”

“…Is there any good reason to lie Ultra Magnus?” He asked softly, “or to hide something from someone?”

“…Sometimes…” Ultra Magnus replied softly, “you lie to keep someone safe, to keep them from worrying… keep them from being hurt.”

“What if they want to know?” Axletron replied, even as it felt like a stone had been dropped into his fuel tank. Who was his father that no one wanted to tell Axle anything about him? Was wanting to learn about him something that would hurt? “Shouldn’t the truth be more important than someone’s feeling about it?”

Ultra Magnus couldn’t help but think that Axletron seemed a lot like Optimus Prime in that moment, so young, so honest and full of potential. But he didn’t want Axletron to end up like Optimus, so much promise cut short because of curiosity and recklessness! “Sometimes, you need to trust those with more experience. They just want what’s best after all, they don’t want you to be hurt…Is this about your conversation with Kup earlier?”

“He told you!?” Axletron exclaimed.

“It’s hard to ignore a direct order from a superior” the navy blue bot replied, trying to save Kup some face.

“Did you know him, Grandpa Magnus?” Axletron asked almost desperately, “My dad?”

“Axletron…”

“Please! There has to be something you can tell me! I don’t know anything about him…” swallowing softly, Axletron took a moment to gather himself. “I don’t know why no one wants to talk about him….Was…was he not nice?”

Ultra Magnus’ spark almost broke right there. Hardened and worn out it still throbbed with the urge to just tell the sparkling everything, but he was just as determined to keep his promise to Cliffjumper. “Yes I did know your father, but we were not exactly…friends. I believe…he was a good bot at spark, but he…lost his way….”

\---

At the end of his rope, downtrodden, desperate and disappointed, Axletron decided to ask Sentinel Prime. Sentinel and his mom didn’t really talk much anymore. And while Axletron could count on seeing Ultra Magnus or Mirage and Hound with some amount of frequency, in life or on the video phone, Sentinel was the rare uncle he hardly ever saw or spoke to. But he was an uncle.

Taking a bracing breath, and burring his sadness deep inside himself, the sparkling pulled on a smile and leaned around the corner of Sentinel’s small office. “Hi Uncle Sentinel!” he greeted cheerfully, playing up the cuteness.

“Hey kid!” Sentinel replied, shifting the data pads he held in his arms to one servo so he could pet Axletron on the head, “You’ve gotten taller!”

“Maybe someday I’ll be as tall as you!”

THAT made Sentinel laugh, “Ha! Yeah, keep dreaming kid!”

“Hey! Just cause my mom’s short didn’t mean my dad was.” He retorted, using the single tidbit he’d been able to wiggle out of Kup.

Sentinel’s expression instantly soured. “For your sake then, I hope you take after your mother a little more.” One cannot imagine the amount of self-restraint it took for Sentinel not to blurt out that _between having Galvatron as a father or being short as a minibot, it was probably better to be short._ Luckily that incident with the speaker and Bumblebee had taught him that it was better to keep such thoughts inside your helm where no one could hear them.

But he’s said more than enough to get Axletron’s attention. “Wait, you know who my father is!?” the sparkling exclaimed, “Can you tell me about him? Please? Mom doesn’t—”

“Kid, your dad wasn’t a bot worth concerning yourself over.” Sentinel cut in bluntly, not sparing the sparkling anything and instead brutally adding, “Leave the slagger in the past. He doesn’t need to ruin your life now.”  Nodding firmly, Sentinel readjusted his grip on the data pads and moved out to the hall.

As Sentinel moved out of sight, Axletron stayed glued to his spot, arms sinking to his sides as his shoulders slumped with a defeated sigh.

\---

At the end of the mega-cycle, Axletron didn’t know if he was more angry or confused. Ultra Magnus had said his dad was a good bot, but lost. Sentinel had told him he was a slagger not worth thinking about. Kup had told him he didn’t need to know. And the rest had turned him down flat! It didn’t seem as though he’d learned absolutely anything new! Secluded in his room, Axletron doodled furiously onto a datapad, scribbling so hard the lines were thick and messy.

A soft knock had him looking up from an unflattering caricature of Sentinel, his chin bigger than ever, to find his mom leaning against his doorframe. Where he normally would have greeted his mom with a smile and a hug, he simply glared at him.

“Everyone’s been telling me that you’ve been a very busy bot.” Cliffjumper said softly. He’d gotten quite a few concerned and confused calls from their extended family. By the dark look Axletron had given him, the sparkling hadn’t gotten anything to be happy about.

“I don’t suppose _you’ll_ tell me who he was?” Axletron asked heatedly, the tone odd coming out of his sweet-sparked son.

“...” the mini frowned softly and avoided his gaze.

“Why?” Axletron questioned, standing from his bed. “Why is it such a big deal? Why can’t anyone just tell me who he was! WHY CAN’T YOU TRUST ME WITH THIS!” he screamed, unable to keep himself from stomping his ped.

Cliffjumper just shook his head, “Axletron! It has nothing to do with trusting you!”

“Than is it him!? What did he do that was so awful he isn’t worth remembering!?”

“Axletron—”

“Maybe you’ll answer my some other questions! Like why I can’t go off base!? OR MEET ANYONE! OR AM KEPT A SECRET?” the sparkling screamed out, throwing his drawing pad against the floor with a loud clatter. His temper only burned brighter as Cliffjumper remained silent, partially from the shock of hearing his sparkling rage so viciously. “Why won’t you answer me!?” Axletron asked harshly, fists clenching and optics glowing brightly. “I HATE YOU!”

Cliffjumper felt his spark break. He was sure he looked like he was about to cry, but he kept silent.

That was the final straw. Snapping with a loud growl, Axletron kicked his datapad across the room and started pacing like a cyber-wolf inside a cage. When that failed to elicit a response from his mother, he snarled and kicked his bed frame and screamed until the bars bent! He ripped the blankets from his bed and threw them in a knotted mass against the wall.  He launched himself at his desk, knocking everything off, datapads crashing to the floor. He threw his potted plant against the wall and watched it sink in a pile of dirt and pottery. He batted his lamp off the side table in a furious sweep that pulled the plug from its outlet, casting the room into darkness. By the glow of his ceiling stars, he kicked his datapads and knickknacks around the floor. 

Something shattered under his ped.

Looking down, Axletron realized that he’d stepped on a holo-image of his mom and him, from when he was 5 or so. The anger seamed to drain out of him in an instant, leaving an ice-cold emptiness behind.

Feeling suddenly tired, Axletron slumped to the ground. His optics felt hot and he realized he’d started crying in his frustration and rage. That seemed to bring a small spark of anger back into him, but it burned out just as fast as he punched the ground weakly.

When Axletron seemed to have calmed down enough, Cliffjumper moved forward. Crouching by his son, he picked up the broken picture.

“I’m sorry” Axletron whispered softly. “I didn’t mean it.”

“It’s alright Axletron.” Cliffjumper replied. As much as Axletron’s words had hurt, Cliffjumper knew his son and he understood his son’s rage. He had his fiery temper true, but it always burned out quickly. Axletron was just too kind sparked to stay angry for long. Cliffjumper’s brother Bumper had been exactly the same. He knew the best way to deal with it was to let it run its course and get everything out in the open. “Come on. Let’s go downstairs.”

Tugging his sparkling up softly, Cliffjumper lead them to the living room, placing his son on the sofa for a moment while he got them some warm, sweetened energon. When the energon was ready, he handed his sparkling a cube and crawled onto the sofa as well. When they were comfortable, sitting side by side in silence, Cliffjumper spoke again.

“You’re not wrong Axletron” he said softly, “You are a secret. Very few bots know you actually exist. Those that do are really only because I know them and wanted them to know, or couldn’t hide it from them. Hound, Mirage, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. They’re all my friends from the First War, some of the few that are still online. Kup, Alpha Trion, Ultra Magnus, they were all my superiors.  As far as the rest of the world is concerned, you don’t exist.

 “Why? What am I? Why aren’t there other kids like me around?” the sparkling asked, growing concerned.

“Axletron, you are one of a kind.” His mom explained, “You’re a spark merge sparkling, the only one in _literally_ millennia.”

“Millennia?!”

Cliffjumper nodded solemnly. “The way Cybertronians are made has changed throughout time. When we were slaves under the Quintessons, we were made through spark merging, since we couldn’t reach the All Spark. But when we rebelled, it was dangerous to have sparklings and the All Spark came back to us. From then on, bots who wanted children would build a body and beg the All Spark to fill it with life. And then, during the second war, when the population was low, the Autobots figured out how to use the All Spark to infuse life into fully aged soldiers using molds of a few body types, like mine. That’s why you see so many minibots, it’s a small, durable and efficient body type. After the All Spark was cast away in space, the only way we’ve been able to make new bots is through those same molds, protoforms and residual spark energy. We lost the ability to make spark-merge sparklings. And here you are, the first unique sparking in eons. A mystery of nature. A miracle.”

“And that’s…bad?” Axletron asked with a confused frown.

Letting out a sad sigh, Cliffjumper shook his head. “It’s wonderful. But we never figured out how it happened. We still don’t know how it was even possible for me to get sparked up. And unfortunately, people are afraid of what they don’t understand. Some may see you as the wonderful gift you are, but others would hate you just for existing, and try to hurt you for no reason beyond their own fear. Think of Sentinel and organics.”

Axletron shuddered.

“And that’s just from civilians. I don’t even want to think what would happen if the Decepticons ever got their servos on you!” Cliffjumper added, fear seizing his spark and making him tighten his grip on his son in an instinctual urge to protect.

“But why would the Decepticon’s care about me?”

“Axletron, we don’t have the All Spark. And no one besides me, and I have no idea why me, has had a spark-merge sparkling. At least as far as we know. I’ve been told that you could be the key to rebuilding a population, to changing the way we exist and grow as a species…but I worry that bots would use that to build armies, not cities.”

“But they don’t actually, like, _know_ about me…do they?”

Cliffjumper frowned uncomfortably. “They do. When I was captured, they tried to get me to tell them where you were…I didn’t tell any of the others.”

“Why not? Don’t you trust them?” Axletron asked in confusion.

“Of course I do! I trust them to care so much they’ll do whatever they can to protect us. After D’Hoonnib they put us both on planet lockdown. If they knew the Decepticon knew? We’d be luckily if we got to see the sunlight with how deep they’d hide us…I didn’t want this for you Axletron. For us. I had hoped to show you the universe.”

“…D’Hoonnib?”

Cliffjumper nodded softly.

“Guess that didn’t work out very well huh?”

Scoffing, Cliffjumper could only grimace. “…I can’t tell you who your father. You may be ready to hear it, but to be completely honest…I’m just not ready to tell you.” Cliffjumper said softly. “This is just something you’re going to have to wait on.” 

“I just…I feel like something’s missing…” Axletron replied, the whine audible in his voice. “Like I can’t figure out who I am without knowing who he was…”

Cliffjumper didn’t say that he often felt the same way, like a part of him wasn’t there where it was supposed to be. “…You know, I had siblings. An older brother and sister.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, if they were still around they would be your uncle and aunt. My brother was named Bumper. He was a scientist and a great hero. My sister was named Ross-9. She was…ambitious and strong willed. She became a Decepticon.”

“WHAT!?” Axletron cried, nearly dropping his mug in surprise.

“Yeah. Bit of a family secret, considering we’re the only ones that know.” Cliffjumper added with a chuckle.

“But…why would she become a Decepticon?”

“She just agreed with their ideals and goals more than with the Autobots like I did.”

“Do you know where she is?”

“No, I never saw her again after she enlisted with them.”

“What about Bumper.”

“He joined your grandparents in the Well long before the first war started. He’d died a hero. You remind me of him sometimes, smart, honest, stubborn.” Cliffjumper looked Axletron in the optic. “But do you see what I mean Axletron? Bumper, Ross-9 and I had the same parents, lived in the same house, ate the same energon and we all turned into very different people. We all made our own way. You will too.”

“I’ll try” Axletron replied, hugging him mother. “I’m sorry.” He added once more.

Relishing the hug, Cliffjumper rubbed his son’s back softly, pressing a small kiss to the side of his helm, “Please, be patient for me. Things will change, they’ll get better. You’ll see.”

Sighing sadly, Axletron hid his heartbroken face in his mother’s shoulder, forcing himself to reply, “Ok mom.”

End Chapter 100

 


	101. A New Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter this time D: Hope you like it!

Chapter 101: A New Friend

Cliffjumper’s  refusal to tell Axletron anything about his father, while understood by the sparkling, left an unfortunate mark on their relationship. Axletron slowly but surely began to pull away, and spent more time on his own, deep in thought. Despite having learned very little, he had unfortunately learned enough to think that his father was a bad mech. A mech disliked, if not outright hated, by his family.

And that made Axletron worry all the more. What if he turned out to be more like his father as he got older? Would he turn bad? Or gain the qualities that made other bots come to hate him too? And what did his father do to them? And if he was so bad, why did his mother spark merge with him in the first place? He’d gone in with one question and came out with a hundred more and was no closer to answers.

And so he threw himself into his work. Maybe a bad habit he’d learned from his mother. But it worked out well. Older now, he was able to handle a bigger workload, and trained constantly. Cliffjumper adapted, staying longer after work so Axletron could stay to practice (no doubt that prompted Longarm to give him more work).

On one of these late nights, something new happened.

Cliffjumper had just finished inputting the latest Space Bride data when he was pinged. Glancing at the clock reminded him of his last appointment for the cycle. With a quick glance at the camera for confirmation, he opened up the door for the class of single-anos, taking a late tour of the facilities to scout for interesting careers.

It was a larger group this time around, almost 30 bots. Ever since the All Spark had been found and then lost again, the council had been producing new recruits in larger numbers, not only as a population boost but as a safety measure, just in case the remaining Decepticons tried something, like find their leader or try to attack Cybertron.  

“Hello everyone,” Cliffjumper greeted, hoping his smile didn’t look too forced. “I’m Cliffjumper, second to Head of Cybertronian Intel.” The class stopped looking around the room and focused on him. Bracing himself, he started the tour, heading for the upper levels to work his way down to the ground floor where the tour would end.

The tour went well, for the first few levels. They made it through the Intel office, the science lab and the medical ward without a major disaster happening. It wasn’t until they reached the history exhibit that things got…a bit unorganized. It was a pretty large floor, dedicated completely to historical artifacts from the wars and beyond. Naturally the kids wanted to see everything, but Cliffjumper was running short on time and had to usher everyone out quickly. Sadly he didn’t notice one bot, intently reading the inscription on a Decepticon shield in the far corner.

Echo was a curious bot by nature, but she wasn’t a trouble maker. She hadn’t intended to lose her group on the tour, she was just reading the inscription and when she turned around they were gone.

Now she was wandering through the hallways, keeping an audio open for any of her classmates. She’d tried going to the next floor down, but they were nowhere to be seen. Figuring she’d be better off just meeting them at the end of the tour, she got on the elevator and pressed the bottommost button. But when the doors opened, it certainly didn’t look like the lobby.

The halls were solid steel, with plenty of doors. Figuring she was maybe on the wrong side of the building she headed down the hall and took the first left. A few more turns later and she noticed the walls change, becoming more decorated, and thinner. Turning a final corner she came upon a set of ornamental doors. They looked like the ones from the Dojo of the Cyber-Ninja Corps. She’d seen them on the tour over there last mega-cycle, but they hadn’t let them actually see inside the room.

Casting a fleeting look down the hallway, she bit her lip before smiling. A little peek wouldn’t hurt.

Sliding a door opened _just_ enough to see inside, she lost her breath. For a crazy moment, she thought Megatron was practicing kicks in the Autobot’s dojo, but then she came to her senses. It was just his face that had caught her attention. It was exactly like Megatron’s, with the fancy battle helmet and dark cheeks. But his optics were a bright glowing blue, as bright and blue as the All Spark! He was red, like the minibot that had led them through the tour. Besides, a Decepticon in the middle of the Metroplex? Please, that was just ludicrous!

This bot looked like he was just a bit shorter than her, but he was pretty bulky in the peds department. “ _Huh, he looked kind of like a minibot with those peds and shoulder pads and sensor horns…? What kind of mold did he come out of?”_ She wondered.

 Axletron had stayed late to practice his metallikato form. He worked hard in the dimly lit private dojo, striking with accuracy and calm control.

Spotting a splash of yellow through the corner of his optics, he quickly broke out of his practice form and stared at the opposite wall, as though he hadn’t seen anything. Who was that? No one knew he was down here besides his teachers and his mom and none of them had such a bright yellow paintjob! Was this a test?

Making for the far corner of the dojo he slipped into the shadows and climbed into the rafters as silently as he could. Pausing to see if he was noticed, he slowly moved towards the door where the color had been. Looking down, he found a femme scanning the room in confusion, probably wondering where he’d gone. She was tiny, a bit smaller than his mom, but bright yellow with black accents. She looked…nice…As soon as the thought fluttered through Axletron’s processor he shook his helm to reenter reality. This was a trespasser! No one was supposed to come down here! Dropping down, he landed almost soundlessly behind the bot.

“You’re not supposed to be here!” Axletron whispered urgently.

Echo let out a shriek and turned in surprise. “Er-I’m sorry!” She stuttered, taken aback the bot’s sudden appearance and at the tone, what did he mean? Obviously she wasn’t supposed to be here but how bad could it be? He suddenly put her on edge with the way he glanced at the clock on the wall and the doors. “I got lost…” she added softly, trying to excuse herself. She didn’t think it was that big a deal, but what if she was wrong? Who was this bot?

Axletron was panicking as he tried to come up with a plan to get the femme out of here without being seen. If she was found here, there was a good chance she’d be expelled. His mother had told him about bots that had happened to before, for small mistakes like this. He still remembered what happened to Optimus. Axletron wasn’t supposed to be seen!

Axle knew he didn’t have much time! His mother was probably almost done with his work, if he hadn’t completed it already and would be on his way to meet him and head home! But he couldn’t just send the yellow femme off with directions! No, _he_ had to get her out, fast.

Sending a last glance at the clock, he sped to the femme’s side, surprising her with his speed. “We need to get you out of here!” he said quickly, grabbing her wrist and waist and herding her down the hall with quick silent steps. Echo couldn’t do more than gasp and shuffle along with the almost dance like movement. It couldn’t have been more than a klik later that the red bot stopped in front of a plain door and shakily released her servo, stepping a pace away.

“This door leads to the main entrance” Axletron explained quickly, listening through for any bots.

“What-oh! Thank you!” Echo replied with a bright smile.

“You should go.” Axletron returned with a soft but nervous smile, starting to move back.

But then Echo stepped away from the door with her servo reaching out as though to grab the mysterious red bot and keep him from leaving so soon, “Wait! Who are you?”

“No one, just forget you ever saw me!” Axletron replied, his cheeks feeling unusually warm.

“But-“

“Please go!” Axletron pleaded, trying to direct her to the door.

“My name’s Echo.” The yellow femme said softly, holding her ground. “Tell me your name so I can thank you properly…please.” she added softly.

Suddenly remembering his manners behind his panic, Axletron bowed from the waist and held out his hand to the femme. “I’m Axletron” he said with a sweet smile.

“Nice to meet you Axletron. Thank you for your help.” Echo said at last, shaking the bot’s servo firmly. As she opened the door and glanced around, relieved at the empty hallway, she stepped out and looked back at Axletron, and smirked. “See you around!” she said with a small laugh, shutting the door and taking off down the hall before he could protest. She was definitely going to see that bot again!

-

That night, Cliffjumper could only wonder that had Axletron looking so over Moon Base-One. His sparkling had not been able to stop smiling for some reason. Obviously something had happened, but Cliffjumper had no clue as to what. Oh well, if it made Axletron happy, and it wasn’t dangerous, Cliffjumper wasn’t going to get in the way.

End chapter 101

A/N: It is my proud honor to present Echo! She belongs to regretfuldragon over on deviantart, who was so kind as to let me use her in this fic even though it totally doesn’t follow her backstory! (At least, I got permission like, 3 years ago and I’m hoping it still stands). For instance, they’re meeting at a younger age than she planned. If you’d like to read more about Echo and regretfuldragon’s version of Echo and Axle’s first meeting, you can here: <http://regretfuldragon.deviantart.com/gallery/24855443/Echo-fics>

 


	102. Getting to know you

Chapter 102: Getting to Know You

As elated as Axletron was about meeting a new bot, he didn’t really think he’d see Echo again. She’d found the dojo once because she’d gotten lost. And she was a still a student so it wasn’t like she could just wander into the Metroplex willy-nilly.

He learned there and then that he shouldn’t underestimate Echo.

Two nights after their meeting, she’d managed to sneak in and find his dojo again. After a quick peak around, she knocked and let herself in with a cheerful, “Hey Axletron!”

“Echo? What are you doing back here?!” the red bot whispered back with no small amount of nervousness. “You’re really not supposed to be here.”

“Yeah, I figured that out last time.” She replied calmly back, “But don’t worry, no one saw me! I wanted to see you again and I come baring gifts!” With that she pulled small tin out of her subspace. “Contraband energon treats you can’t get these anywhere on base!”

Never one to turn down sweets, Axletron sighed softly, and gave Echo a soft smile. Glancing around the open and empty dojo, he gestured for her to follow him to the corner of the room, near the training weapons. She’d have a better chance of hiding there if someone came by. “Here, we’ll trade, my energon treats for yours.”

A bit confused at the offer, but not unwilling, Echo followed after the new bot. He pulled a small bag off a hook and dug out a lunch box. Inside were energon cookies. “Where did you get those?” Echo asked curiously. You could only get those in bakeries usually, and there weren’t any near the base. They tended to stick to the upper class areas, like The Towers.

“My—” Axletron barely managed to catch himself. He was supposed to be a secret. He was already jeopardizing that having a snack with this femme, was he really going to spill that he had parents too and came from a spark merge? He didn’t know this bot. Didn’t know how she found him once let alone twice. For all he knew, she was a spy! “I um…made them?”

Curious, the yellow femme accepted on of the treats and took a hesitant bite. Her optics widened as she swallowed. An instant later she’d stuffed the whole thing in her mouth and was pushing her own tin towards Axletron. “I’ll trade you all of mine for yours. Take them!”

More than familiar with the response to one of his sweets, Axletron simply chucked and handed his box over, taking one of hers in turn. Sitting on the mats, he unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth.  Sucking on it thoughtfully he took a better look at Echo.

The femme was only a little taller than him, with a yellow and Black paintjob and a gladiator looking helmet like what Elita-one had had. “So…how old are you Echo?”

“I’m two ano-cycles old.” Echo replied. Distracted as she was by the food she didn’t see Axletron’s flinch. 2 ano-cycles!? He was 13 and he didn’t even have an altmode yet! Was this what his mother had meant? Sparkling like him aged over time, but bots from a mold came out fully mature…

“Do you know what you want to do?” he asked, trying to distract himself from his negative thoughts.

Shrugging, Echo folded her legs under her, “I have a lot of ideas. I’ve taken some ninja training, and I like medicine, but I really want to join the Elite Guard, you know? Go on faraway missions, work with Ultra Magnus!” Just the thought got her excited! “What about you? How long have you been here? What do you do?”

“I’m ah- a student too. I study a bunch of different stuff, help out where I can you know?”

“I haven’t seen you in any classes? Why are you down here?”

“I have tutors and I practice down here. It’s a secret.” He declared, giving Echo a hard look. “No one is supposed to know about me.”

Blushing, Echo fiddled with her servos, “I haven’t told anyone…”

Sighing in exasperation, Axletron shock his helm, “That’s something at least. But you’re still not supposed to be here…” the last part was said with no small reluctance. 

Pouting, Echo crossed her arms reflectively, “Oh come on, what’s the harm? We’re just hanging out. I’ve never seen a bot with your mold before. And don’t you get lonely?

Tilting his head, Axletron thought about it. Was he lonely? He had his family, his mentors and uncles, and his mom…why did it matter so much to him that Echo came back? Why did he get so excited when he saw her again? I mean yeah, it was sort of nice to talk to someone new, someone who didn’t know everything about him from the moment he was sparked. Deciding not to dwell on it, Axletron instead took the opportunity to question someone about the outside. “So you’ve been off base?  What was it like?”

“You’ve never been? Oh it’s amazing! The city is so big, and bright! There streets are wide and always crowded with bots from everywhere in the galaxy! There are shops filled with everything you can imagine! I mean, you gotta be careful where you go, since academy bots aren’t actually allowed to go off base. So if a cop sees us we’ll get turned in and put on punishment duty.”

“Has that happened to you before?”

“No. Me and my friends usually avoid the bars and shops everyone else seems to flock to. We like the museums, and the great library. I remember when we went to the zoo; we saw the most amazing stellar birds!”

“You went to a zoo?” Axletron asked, his optics sparking I excitement.

Excited to be talking about animals, Echo skootched closer to the red mech, “Yeah! Do you like animals?”

“Yeah,” Axletron replied, “though I haven’t dealt with many.” He vaguely remembered some small organics on D’Hoonnib.

Gasping dramatically, Echo exclaimed, “oh my primus! Let me tell you all about them! Most bots don’t know anyway, since they don’t visit the zoos and animals in the city are super rare, unless you’re like a noble with their turbofox hunts… anyway, there were these giant organic insects from Archa Seven. They had multiple optics and like, 8 legs. They spit acid or something so they’re behind glass but they were so amazing! And the birds! Their plating was so bright and detailed…”

And somehow the afternoon passed like that, with Echo describing every animal she’d seen to the best of her ability, filling Axle’s mind with vivid images of exciting animals that he’d only ever seen in books. Until Cliffjumper commed Axle to tell him he was on his way and Axletron had to rush to get Echo out safely. But when they said goodbye, this time the sparkling knew it wasn’t for long.

End Chapter 102


	103. The Turbo-fox

Chapter 103: The Turbo-Fox

Echo’s visits persisted, a happy addition to Axletron’s routine. They’d usually meet 3 times a mega-cycle, when Axletron stayed late to practice at the dojo. Sometimes they could share their lunch if Echo came at the perfect time and Cliffjumper was busy, which seemed to be happening more often than before. But Axletron couldn’t really bring himself to mind.

His conversations with Echo were quickly becoming one of his favorite things. They talked about everything they could think of: their lessons, their teachers, the Decepticons, favorite foods, even their dreams.  Listening to Echo, the ways she talked about life and friends and experiences made Axletron’s own life seem so much brighter and his guilt at not telling her the truth about himself only grew.

But what could he say? How could he explain it to her? Someone who had been created from a mold, with no concept of any other way of being born? His mother’s warning rang loudly in the back of his head. What if she were to hate him, fear him because of how he was created? What ifs were constantly pushed down and buried in an effort to just enjoy his meetings with the femme.

 One cycle, not particularly different from any other cycle, Echo came carrying a small box with holes on the sides. Greeting him with a smile, she snuck quickly into the room and took her usual seat by the weapons closet. “Axletron! I wanted to show you something!”

Finishing his last exercise, Axletron joined her on the mats, staring at the box curiously, “What is it?”

After checking all the exits, Echo slowly lifted the lid off the box, revealing a small animal. “This, is a turbofox. I found him wandering around the storage units near the training range. Poor thing was starving. I’ve named him Scratch”

The small mechanimal was curled into a tight little ball at the furthest corner of the box. His optics were a bright neon green and though he was quiet his teeth were bared in warning.

Whispering, so as not to frighten the fox, Axletron asked, “What was he doing out there? Don’t turbofoxes usually travel in packs?”

Echo nodded, “I’m not sure what happened. He could have wandered off and lost them. They could have been killed. He may even have been abandoned.”

Frowning, Axletron moved his servo closer to the mechanimal, slowly so as not to startle it, “why do you say that?” it somehow managed to curl up even tighter in the corner of the box than before, though it’s tail began to whip around frantically.  

“Well, he’s very small, probably the run of the litter.” The femme explained, “and look at his plating. Turbo foxes don’t usually have this coloring.” The turbo fox was a very dark blue, definitely abnormal since most foxes were silver. “He may not even be full fox.”

“What else could he be?”

Placing the box gently on the ground, Echo slowly pulled an energon treat out of her subspace, “Just look at that tail. Could be cyber-racoon, maybe even cyber-wolf.” Placing the food gently in the box, they both drew away to let the fox sniff at the offering. It nibbled on the energon, but kept it’s gaze on them as they sat on their hunches and watched him. 

“So it’s a little mixed breed huh? And his family just abandoned him like that?” Axletron replied softly.

Sensing that she’d made her friend sad, Echo backtracked, “it’s just one idea. Like I said, he could have gotten lost, or his family may have died.” Sometimes it was surprising to her how sweet-sparked Axletron was. “ Have you ever seen a turbo-fox so close?”

The red mech shook his head, “only ever seen them in books.”

“I think he’s calming down a bit” Echo said after a moment of silence. The fox had finished the energon and was slowly smoothing out his heckles, but he kept his optics firmly on Axletron. “He’s just shy around new bots. I think you can pet him now…”

Moving slowly, Axletron reached out to the turbo-fox. Though it shrank in on itself a bit, it didn’t growl or snarl at him again. But the instant Axle touched the fox’s ear, the small animal bit harshly on his thumb with a hiss. Grimacing at the pain, but holding still, Axletron and the fox stared at each other for a moment.

Eventually, realizing the red bot wasn’t going to strike at him, the fox released him, and softly budded his head against the outreached hand. Whatever test it was, Axletron seemed to have passed.

“You ok?” Echo asked

Nodding softly, Axletron scooped up the fox to hold him in his lap and pet him. “Yeah, he was just scared is all.”

Enraptured by the small mech-animal, Axle missed Echo’s soft smile as she watched them. She always thought you could tell a lot about a bot by how they were with animals.

“What are you going to do with him?” Axletron eventually asked.

Sighing and shrugging a bit guiltily, Echo replied, “I’ve had to keep him hidden in the dorms. My roommates have been covering for me. But no one knows he’s there. He’s pretty well behaved, I think this can work.”

Petting the mech-animal under the chin softly, Axletron smiled ruefully, _So you’re a secret too? We seem to have a lot in common_ he thought.

Sparing Echo a glance, he looked back into the fox’s optics and smiled. _You couldn’t be in better servos though. Don’t worry, everything will be fine._

End chapter 103

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To read the orignal version of this meeting by regretfuldragon you can go here: http://regretfuldragon.deviantart.com/art/AxleEcho-Drabbles-2-171586111


	104. The Sound of Your Voice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to get back on track with out fav couple ;)

Chapter 104: The Sound of Your Voice

While Axletron and Echo were becoming fast friends, Cliffjumper continued his transmissions with Sunstreaker. The artist had managed to get in with a Decepticon smuggling ring, and had been making new contacts all over the Decepticon Empire. They knew about the bounty on Optimus’ head and the continued search for Megatron, but Galvatron had remained hidden from them.

That night, when Axletron was in bed and Cliffjumper was working in his office, he got a call from the twin. One he had not been expecting. Worried that the mech had been discovered, maybe even in need of extraction, the mini answered immediately.

“CJ!” Sunstreaker exclaimed as soon as the screen cleared.

“Sunny, what’s going on? Are you alright?” the mini asked frantically, looking the mech up and own for injuries, which was difficult when he  was moving frantically around the room, picking stuff up and throwing it into his subspace.

“Yeah I’m fine! Listen, I have a lead, but I act to act fast!” The twin explained quickly. “Swindle was hired to look for Megatron, and called in the bounty hunter Lockdown. I’m sending you the transmission now. I’m going after him.”

“After Swindle? But why?” Cliffjumper questioned, not seeing the logic of the move. Lockdown was one of the best bounty hunters in the business, why Swindle would need to follow after him was a mystery as well.

“Listen to the tape, it’ll explain everything!” Pausing in his packing for a moment, Sunstreaker came to the screen, took off his masking visor and told the mini, “Cliff, Galvatron is alive. No doubt.” Looking away from the screen, apparently hearing something.

“What?” The mini whispered back, completely stunned.

Smirking and somehow making it look sweet and sad at the same time, Sunstreaker gave the minibot a small nod, “His ship is about to head out, I need to follow. See ‘ya hothead.”

The transmission cut out.

Cliffjumper was numb. He felt limbless and light, like he was floating around in space and could be blown away by a cosmic wind in an instant. Had he heard right? He vaguely noticed the alarm in his head telling him his filtration system had stunted.  He wasn’t breathing.

Forcing himself to take some deep calm breaths, he got up to check the locks on his door one more time. Nervous and worried, he activated the video Sunstreaker had sent him. With no warning, Galvatron’s face filled the screen, looking cool and regal. Cliffjumper’s spark felt like it’d tried to fly out of his throat!

Apparently Sunstreaker had started recording late. Galvatron’s long unheard voice hit him in the middle of a sentence, “-of Lockdown’s progress?”

Laughing scornfully at himself for jumping, Cliffjumper took in Galvatron’s appearance as Swindle answered him.

“He’s narrowed down the search area pretty well. Heading out towards a promising local. I’m heading off to join him, see what I can pick up on the way.”

Galvatron’s optics were very bright, his face drawn and worried. His paint looked a bit dull, but that could have been the dim lighting of the room he was in. Cliffjumper couldn’t even tell what the background was made of. “Are his Generals still looking as well?” Galvatron asked.

Realizing they were talking about Megatron, Cliffjumper’s own whispered “Yes.” coincided with Swindle’s.

“I’ll touch base with them after our meeting, see if they need anything.” Swindle added, a smile evident in his voice.

It made Galvatron smirk for some reason, and Cliffjumper couldn’t keep the scowl off his faceplate. He was torn. He liked the softening in Galvatron’s face, but not the fact that it was Swindle that put it there. Tweaking his horn, he scolded himself, forcing himself to focus on the rest of the transmission.

“Thank you Swindle.” Galvatron replied. “Report back with your findings. Be careful out there.”

“I always am. Swindle out.”

And just as abruptly as the video started, it cut off, leaving Cliffjumper in the dark, his processor trying to catching up with what he’d just seen.

Galvatron was ALIVE!

A giggle inexplicably escaped from him. And another. And suddenly he was smiling wide enough to split his faceplate and laughing and he could stay seated any longer! He leap from his chair and hopped in excitement, laughing hysterically and smiling, his servos and knee shaking until they could no longer support him. Folding to the ground, he clutched his head in his servos and realized he’s started crying at some point, thick tears of relief and joy.

_He’s alive!_

It was so wonderful to hear his voice. Cliffjumper didn’t even realize he’d missed it so desperately until now. Galvatron’s deep, rhythmic voice was still making his audios ring and his spark seemed to swell at the memory of his voice. It was ridiculous. Galvatron hadn’t said anything remotely romantic or soft or sweet, but just hearing him did something to Cliffjumper. And just hearing him, knowing he was alive and giving orders out there, lifted something off the mini’s shoulders and made the ano-cycles he’d spent searching for Galvatron worth it.

Because Cliffjumper’s spark had been right. Galvatron was still functioning. Axletron’s father wasn’t dead!

Biting his derma, Cliffjumper rewound the tape to the very last part, replaying Galvatron saying “be careful out there” imagining that he was speaking to him and praying that Galvatron would be careful as well, wherever he was.

His optics suddenly blinked rapidly. Wait. Swindle said he had a meeting with Galvatron! Sunstreaker was following Swindle! Sunstreaker may be headed straight to Galvatron!

End Chapter 104

 


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